中国公共节假日

China‘s public holidays
中国公共节假日
Golden weeks or silver days?　黄金周还是白银假期
Nov 22nd 2007 | BEIJING
From The Economist print edition
May Day! Socialism‘s festival under attack
五一长假！社会主义节假正面临挑战
IT MAY be ruled by the Communist Party, but China has never quite qualified as a workers‘
paradise. Hundreds of millions of Chinese toil for long hours at low wages, often in dirty
and dangerous conditions. Independent labour unions do not exist. But since 1999 working
life in China has had one big compensation: a trio of weeklong holidays. Each year—on the
May 1st Labour Day, October 1st National Day, and Lunar New Year—most Chinese workers
enjoy a “Golden Week” away from the job, though they have to make up for it by working
the previous weekend.
也许是共产党的裁定，但中国从来都不是工人的天堂。数亿中国工人都是拿着低薪水超时工作，而工作
条件常常是恶略、危险的。并且没有设立独立的工人协会。但从1999年起中国做出了一个很大的补偿：
三个长达一周假期。每年的五一劳动节，十一国庆节以及农历新年——尽管要在假期前的周末加班，多
数中国人都很欢迎这样的“黄金假期”。
That now looks likely to change. The government has mooted reforms that would reduce May
Day observance to a single day and distribute the rest over a series of one-day holidays
for the traditional Tomb Sweeping day, Dragon Boat festival and Mid-Autumn festival. The
number of annual holidays would rise from ten to 11. The change stems partly from practical
concerns over the huge stress Golden Weeks place on China‘s tourist infrastructure. Trains,
planes, hotels and tourist areas see a massive crush, turning the break into an ordeal for
both holidaymakers and those catering to their needs.
而目前将可能有所变化。政府已经在商讨对假期进行改革，准备将五一长假缩短为一天，将剩余天数分
成一系列为期一天的假期，如传统的清明节，端午节和中秋节。每年的节日将从10一个增长到11个。改
革的原因部分是源于黄金周对中国旅游基础设施的巨大压力所引发的担忧。火车、飞机、酒店和旅游景
点都出现客流严重拥挤，使休假期成了折磨，令度假者和旅游行业头痛不已。
The government has ostentatiously solicited public opinion about the change. In a series of
online opinionsurveys and in voluminous press commentary, debate has been surprisingly
intense. It has split those who prefer one holiday regime or the other. But it has also
covered the government‘s stated intention of giving new weight to China‘s own culture, and
the relative merits of observing traditional holidays rather than socialism‘s sacred Labour
Day.
政府特意向公众征求改革意见。在一系列的在线调查和大量的新闻报道，公众辩论异常激烈。目前已经
分为支持改为一天假期的一派和反对派。同时还涉及了政府以表达的意图——给中国传统文化以新的重
视，以及更多关注传统节日而不是社会主义神圣的劳动节所具备的相关优点。
Upon the close of the consultation period this month, officials reported strong support for
the change. Of 1.3m online voters, state media reported, 88% favoured the increase in total
days off, and 62% approved of the shift to scattered one-day breaks. So the decision, due
at the end of the year, is likely to back the change. But reform will not stop there. The
government also plans to guarantee workers paid holidays to take when they choose. The
entitlement would range from five to 15 days annually, depending on seniority. But most
workers fear employers would renege on these obligations, and that China‘s shoddy
regulatory system would let them get away with it. It looks like an opportunity for a trade
unionist.
在本月商议的尾声，政府发布了公众对改革强烈支持。据官方媒体报道，130万的在线投票者中，88%的
网民同意增加假日总数，62%的网民同意将长假分散为单日假期。因此，在年底即将确定的决定很有可能
支持改革。但改革并不仅仅于此，政府还计划保证工人可以享受带薪假期，假期将根据资历分为5到15天
不等。但多数人担心雇主会拒绝这些义务，而中国的松懈的监管系统会让他们钻空子。 看似此时正是行
业工会主义者的有利时机。
Copyright ? 2007 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.