China, like America, has national holidays during which people don’t have to work. The biggest holiday we have experienced so far has been Spring Festival, which was basically a month of random stores being closed and us not being able to get our water fixed.
However, unlike America, China makes its citizens “make up” the days they take off work for holidays. The upcoming holiday, Labor Day, gives us next Thursday and Friday off. Joyous, a 4 day holiday! But quickly we realize that our weekend is not as sacrosanct as we believed. We have to come in that Sunday to make up for the days we get off.
This is not the first time this has happened, and it never fails; every foreigner in Wuhan gripes about the uselessness of having a holiday if you just have to make up the days you miss. It makes perfect sense to the Chinese. “But you don’t work this day, so you must work on this day to make it up.” But, that day was supposed to be a given holiday! We can’t help but feel cheated when this mere weekend shifting takes place.
Another holiday approaching, Children’s Day, is supposed to be the day that the Chinese boycott KFC. They love boycotting stores that are technically owned but far from being a representative of a country that has “wronged” them. Carrefour, a French department store, has been boycotted due to the protests in France when the Olympic torch was brought through. KFC is being boycotted due to Nancy Pelosi meeting with the Dalai Lama. And thats all I feel safe saying. Uhmmm… I was going to type more but due to the recent news that a foreigner was attacked coming out of Carrefour, I shan’t.
I live in an alternate universe.
Love,
Coco
it is interesting to read your opinion about chinese holiday arrangement.
i think shifting the holiday is a good solution, because the people can have longer and consecutive holidays.
and i feel sad to see so many young chinese people were stirred to join these kinds of blind nationalism activities. they think they are patriotic, but in my eyes, it contribute nothing to the improvement of the situation.
i also can’t understand why holiday should shift
sunday is holiday . why couldn’t May 1st work , 2th , 3 th , 4 th is free. Monday beginning to work.
it is not using for their protest
The holidays make perfect sense. The holiday is one day: May 1st. To make it three days you are given Friday off, and have to make it up. Would you prefer having Thursday off, working Friday, and then being off Sat. and Sun.? There is method to the madness. Nobody rides for free.
When the May holiday was five days, two days had to be made up. There nothing better than teaching English for seven consecutive days….
You can see silliness in the protests, but I remember changing the name of French Fries to Freedom Fries in a certain nation’s capitol, is that any less ridiculous?