Guangdong wrong to turn back holiday clock
The central government had good reasons for scrapping the 'golden week' national holiday in May and replacing it with shorter breaks spread over the year. For one thing, the decision removed one of the three chaotic, week-long breaks during which half a billion people move around the country. For another, it paved the way for a welcome revival of traditional culture through recognition as public holidays of the Ching Ming festival next month, the Dragon Boat festival in June and the Mid-Autumn festival in September.
The changes have been well received, not least because of the greater flexibility they allow in taking annual leave. It came as a surprise, therefore, when, just a year after they were introduced, Guangdong declared it was reinstating the May 'golden week' to boost consumer spending and help the province weather the economic crisis. That plan has now been scrapped after Beijing ordered local authorities to stick to the central holiday schedule. As a result, the jubilation among tourism-related businesses here as well as in Guangdong has turned to disappointment.
It is unclear whether the State Council knew about Guangdong's plans. However, the directive has prompted Guangdong authorities to drop the idea. It will also discourage other regional authorities from following suit. Those who have also called for a reinstatement of the holiday include Chongqing, Hunan and Xinjiang. Beijing's intervention to stop the idea becoming contagious is timely. It is not good to force so many people to take holidays at the same time. Every year the mandatory week-long breaks stretch roads and railways to the limit and overwhelm tourist destinations, making going on holiday more like an ordeal.
The affair reflects the conflicting economic concerns of Beijing and Guangdong. Amid the downturn, Beijing fears that more workers will find their jobs gone after a long break, as happened after the Lunar New Year holiday. It has stressed support for small and medium-sized enterprises, whereas Guangdong wants to move up the value-added ladder to reduce its dependency on labour-intensive and polluting industries.
The new national holiday schedule should be upheld as a step towards a more liberal and rational annual-leave policy that allows people to take paid holidays when they want - and not necessarily when everyone else is on the move too. The week-long Labour Day holiday may have helped the good times roll, but restoring it will not turn the economic tide. It should also not be forgotten that the new holiday calendar is the reason mainlanders will soon have a public holiday to pay respects to their ancestors on grave-sweeping day, a tradition that was officially denied to them for decades.
