Chinese colleges extend holidays to let students ‘enjoy love’ amid plummeting birth rates: Report

Amid the Chinese government’s incentives to encourage young couples to have more children, two colleges are motivating their students to use extended spring vacations to feel the beauty of spring and love, a move that some see as an attempt to reverse the declining birth rate.

Extending a one-day tomb sweeping national holiday to a full week, the Sichuan Southwest Vocational College of Civil Aviation in Chengdu informed all students and staff members about the decision through a notice titled “Holiday Notice on ‘Floating Spring,’” reported Fox News. In the circular, people were encouraged to “leave the classroom, leave campus, enjoy the nature and feel the beauty of spring and love.”

Taking a similar step, the University of Xiamen also granted its students a whole week off. According to the Sichuan Southwest Vocational College, the spring break will not shorten the students’ class time as they are required to complete various homework assignments during their vacation. Liu Ping, deputy dean of the college said the holiday should be regarded as a way for students to practice the combination of life and studying, added the report.

The news of the extended off drew a variety of reactions on Chinese social media. The majority of users said they were envious of the students and faculty at these two universities, while some expressed hope that this would become a national norm.

“I’m sure this is just another attempt to push people into having more babies,” one person wrote on Weibo. Others criticised it being a cheap attempt to attract more students to enroll in vocational education.