The May Day holiday was quietly shortened, and in order to soothe people's hearts, they had to make up for this regret with a holiday. 16 years ago in my memory, the May Day holiday was a fruitful period, and seven days were as precious as gold.
But in 2008, that long happiness suddenly came to an end.
The story seems to have started with a professor named Cai Jiming......
Who understands the hidden taste of the long vacation?
Cai Jiming, an economics craftsman in Tsinghua Park, has been deeply involved in the field of labor and human resource economics for many years. Every May Day and National Day, the seven-day holiday always comes as scheduled.
As a senior researcher in the field of economics, Cai Jiming always has his own unique views on the mainland's long-term holiday policy. After some analysis, behind those seemingly tempting consecutive holidays, there are many hidden worries.
[The helplessness of traffic]: When people gather to travel at the same time, the transportation network across the country inevitably undergoes a test that is almost paralyzed.
[Overcrowding in scenic spots]: During the long holiday, those well-known scenic spots are crowded and crowded, which not only destroys the viewing mood of tourists, but also buries many potential safety hazards.
[Intermittent shock of enterprises]: The seven-day holiday has made the production line of many enterprises press the pause button, which directly impacts the operating efficiency.
[Workers are physically and mentally exhausted]: After a long vacation, people return to work, but find it difficult to immediately regain their former motivation and condition.
It was precisely these practical problems that prompted Cai Jiming to make a solemn proposal to the State Council to shorten the "Golden Week" holiday.
As a professional, Cai Jiming's move quickly made waves among the public and relevant departments, and his suggestions quickly received attention and attention.
At the end of 2007, the State Council made a decision that surprised everyone: starting in 2008, the May Day holiday will be reduced from seven days to three days. This decision, as if overnight, made the seven-day "Golden Week" a thing of the past.
That long vacation that was once long-awaited came to an end.
As soon as the news came out, public opinion from all walks of life boiled, and voices of support and opposition came and went, stirring like a tide in this land.
When the news broke, the streets and alleys exploded in an instant, like ink dripping into water, quickly spreading to every corner of the entire country.
It is said that during that time, Cai Jiming carried a heavy weight of public opinion on his shoulders, and even the undercurrent of the Internet surged towards him, turning into a relentless personal attack.
Every May Day, this is a good time for the Chinese people to put down their work, stretch their muscles and bones, and enjoy life.
Not only those who work from 9 to 5, but even those ordinary families who have to take care of the old and the young, will also lose no time in arranging a trip to play, or go home to have a look, and enjoy this rare family time.
The memory seems to have been erased by the state's big hand, leaving behind the loss and uneasiness of the masses in a place.
The day known as the long holiday is not just a simple combination of dates, it carries the warmth of several generations coming together, and it is a period of affectionate and entangled life memories.
What's even more distressing is that those diligent office workers, they are blunt: in just three days, where is there enough to touch the edge of relaxation.
Wage earners, who work hard all year round, look forward to enjoying the warm time with their families during the long holidays. However, this simple wish has now become unattainable.
In such helplessness and loss, people's anger was like a spark that quickly converged, and finally burned into a raging fire, and Cai Jiming unfortunately became the only focus of this anger.
Netizens scolded the "culprit" with blood. Cai Jiming faced this surging tide of public opinion, and at that moment, he seemed to be overwhelmed by himself.
Subsequently, he stood up again and again to clarify the reason, emphasizing that the cancellation of "Golden Week" was not a decision that he could decide on his own, but the result of a combination of factors.
However, the storm of public opinion does not seem to stop, and it still sweeps everything unscrupulously.
Until 2009, Cai Jiming waited for a turning point - he resolutely pushed Baidu into the dock.
Cai Jiming, the indomitable name, stood up and issued a cry to Baidu to block slander and personal attacks. Finally, in the palace of the law, he ushered in the dawn of victory, the hammer of justice of the court fell, and Baidu had to compensate him for the loss of 100,000 yuan.
This victory is undoubtedly a counterattack by Cai Jiming, which not only washes away the untruths, but also reinforces those overly sharp words.
However, perhaps this struggle made Cai Jiming deeply understand people's yearning for long vacations. In the days to come, his advice may be more sympathetic to the emotions of ordinary people.
Time flies, and before you know it, the cancellation of "Golden Week" has become a thing of the past 16 years ago......
Do people say it really works?
On the eve of the holiday, people's focus is no longer on the holidays. Nowadays, the most worrying thing is whether the holiday should be filled by the patchwork of "compensatory holidays".
In order to balance all aspects of holiday travel and enterprise production, the May Day holiday was cut into three days, plus weekends, and the missing two days were made up for by taking time off.
In this way, the seven-day long holiday was preserved, but the rights and interests of our workers had to bear a lot of losses.
This "compensatory rest", to put it bluntly, is to dismantle a little here and make up a little there.
It gives the holiday the illusion of fulfillment, as if time can really be played with at will. However, who can ignore the price behind this, which is just a clever patchwork and adjustment of daily toil.
"We've never really embraced that seven days of freedom,"
"Every May Day, I always have to earn back the days that should be off from overtime bit by bit. ”
In fact, the working hours have not been shortened, but it is a trick to compensate for holidays, which makes our labor heavier.
In the eyes of some people, the trick of "compensating for holidays" seems to relieve the traffic pressure of holiday travel and reduce the overcrowding scene, which seems to be reasonable.
However, for those workers who work hard all year round, this arrangement always feels a bit out of the essence of Labor Day.
Don't forget, the origin of May Day is to remember the hard work and sweat of our working people, so that everyone has a chance to rest and enjoy themselves.
Since the birth of the People's Republic of China in 1949, May 1 has been officially designated as Labor Day, which should have been a day for working people to celebrate.
What kind of happy time was the May Day holiday in the past?
In the beginning, Labor Day was just an ordinary day year after year, and not many people paid special attention to it.
At that time, Labor Day was a legal holiday, and workers could only enjoy a day's leisure.
At that time, the country's economic train had just left the station, and everyone had a shallow understanding of such an emerging festival and did not feel deeply.
However, in 1999, everything took a turn and the meaning of Labor Day changed.
In that ordinary and extraordinary era, the State Council swiped a heart-warming policy ink, allowing the glittering term "Golden Week" to enter people's families. Since then, May Day is no longer just synonymous with labor, but has become a seven-day leisure time.
Those ordinary salarymen who usually shuttle between factories and office buildings have finally ushered in a good opportunity to breathe their breath. They have the opportunity to shake off the dust on their bodies, go out of the house, and explore the mountains and rivers that usually only appear in dreams. And those prestigious tourist attractions have also ushered in their annual carnival, which is full of people and is not lively.
In my memory, in 1999, the first "Golden Week" was like a sudden heat wave, sweeping the streets and alleys of the country. People flocked to all directions in all directions, smiling with the same anticipation and excitement on their faces.
Following this craze, CCTV also carefully cooked a unique program - "May 17 Joy", which not only added a bit of laughter to this long holiday, but also became an unforgettable collective memory in the hearts of people in that era.
Many industries, such as tourism, catering, retail, and entertainment, regard Labor Day as an indispensable golden business opportunity of the year. But in the blink of an eye, we have pushed the laborers into an embarrassing situation in order to cope with the surging travel, isn't this a bit of a mispriority?
Why do we have to sacrifice the legitimate rights and interests of workers?
Looking back on the past, some of Cai Jiming's views back then seem to have gradually revealed some truth with the development of events.
With the cancellation of "Golden Week", the traffic pressure across the country has been relieved, and the number of tourists in those popular scenic spots has gradually returned to its former calm. However, the debate about this change has been like a swing, swinging back and forth, and has not really subsided.
Some people feel that Cai Jiming did skillfully analyze the drawbacks of the long holiday system from the perspective of economics. But he seems to ignore the actual needs of those hard workers, and this view inevitably seems a bit one-sided, and lacks some humanistic care.
Maybe you think so: Cai Jiming's proposal may still have to be considered.
But it would be too decisive to deny the benefits of the holidays.
Let's weigh whether there can be a more appropriate and reasonable adjustment method, don't always compress the holiday to only "three days of fishing and two days of drying nets".
Imagine if the compensatory day off system was abolished and a considerate government allowed us to enjoy the full seven-day holiday every year.
Either way, these days are always a relief.
People can leave the world behind for a while and recuperate without distractions.
At this time of year, whether we smile or sigh for the sake of the holiday depends on the determination of the government.
I hope that when I make an idea, I can be responsible for the people and don't search too much.
The changes of the May Day holiday are like a living picture unfolding in front of our eyes. In front of the screen, do you also feel the flow and changes of this time? You may wish to leave your story, let us share those laughter and contemplation about the holiday in this comment area. Looking forward to your real voice to add a unique color to this colorful life.