Many workers in China, including Hao Zeyu, an algorithm engineer at an electric vehicle company, are granted a five-day break for the Labor Day holiday. However, the catch is that to enjoy this break, they have to work extra days on the weekends before and after the holiday.
What’s more frustrating is that two of the holiday days fall on weekends, essentially turning a five-day break into just one real holiday. This practice, known as “adjusted rest” or “tiaoxiu,” was introduced in 1999 to boost consumer spending after the Asian financial crisis. However, it has sparked widespread discontent in recent years.
Hao and many others are not pleased with this policy, feeling that it no longer serves its original purpose and is unfair to workers. Despite China’s Communist Party commemorating International Workers’ Day annually, this long-standing practice has stirred up quite a bit of frustration among workers like Hao.
Chinese holidays often come with a catch. To encourage travel and consumer spending, China provides extended holidays throughout the year. However, to account for the extra time off, employees are required to work on weekends before and after the break. In 2024, this requirement applies to holidays like Labor Day, the Spring Festival, and National Day.
Workers are feeling anxious about the possibility of losing their jobs if they request additional time off beyond the usual holidays. In the wake of a post-Covid economic downturn in the world’s second-largest economy, employees are experiencing increased pressure to work harder as companies try to achieve more with fewer resources.
This pressure is arising due to various economic challenges, such as a property crisis, reduced foreign investment, and sluggish consumer spending. The situation has made workers hesitant to ask for extra leave, something they were previously comfortable doing.
In recent weeks, there has been a surge of complaints on Chinese social media regarding this year’s Labor Day leave arrangements. Many people are criticizing the government for prioritizing businesses over the much-needed breaks that individuals are seeking.
Under hashtags like “you should not pretend not to hear voices opposing the tiaoxiu policy” and “tiaoxiu policy for May Day,” discussions have gained immense traction, with over 560 million views combined.
One user pointed out that this online conversation goes beyond just a policy debate—it reflects the physical and mental exhaustion stemming from excessive overtime work. The core desire expressed is for a genuine and essential break from the overwhelming workload.
People are expressing that they would prefer to have more holidays rather than having existing holidays moved around or extended. They argue that without genuine breaks from work or routine, they would lack the motivation to spend money on leisure activities.
To add to the problem, the carefully planned vacations often lead to a rush for difficult-to-obtain train tickets, higher-priced hotel bookings, and crowded tourist attractions, according to Hao.
Labor Day isn’t the only holiday affected by this adjusted rest policy.
Government officials also rearrange work schedules during the Spring Festival, celebrated in January or February, and National Day on October 1, to create extended seven-day breaks known as “Golden Weeks.”