Autumn school holidays a welcome break with tradition
Trials of new vacation periods aim to ease student burdens, promote development
Local practice
This year, several cities have begun exploring the new holiday system.
In August, the Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture government office issued a notice mandating spring and autumn breaks of at least one week each for compulsory education schools across the prefecture.
Xianfeng county also announced an autumn break from Oct 27 to 31, creating a nine-day holiday period.
Foshan, Guangdong province, announced a three-day autumn break in mid-November and a two-day spring break around May Day for the 2025-26 school year. It offers parents three options: school-organized off-campus activities, family-organized travel, or on-campus care for children unable to participate in other plans.
Data from online travel platform Qunar.com shows a 276 percent year-on-year surge in air ticket bookings from Foshan during the announced break period, with Beijing, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and Shanghai the top destinations.
Zigong, Sichuan province, introduced a two-day spring break and three-day autumn break starting this fall. Its guidelines require setting up free tutoring points for those in need. It also encourages local enterprises and institutions to implement paid leave to support parents. Local museums and cultural tourism departments are required to offer free student entry and special "study tour" products.
Yibin in Hubei province also began a three-day spring and autumn break pilot this fall.
Jiangsu province's recent measures to boost consumption encouraged eligible areas to trial breaks by setting the three weekdays before May Day and National Day as spring and autumn breaks, respectively.
Zhejiang is the first province to implement spring and autumn breaks province-wide, with all 11 prefecture-level cities issuing relevant documents.
For over 20 years, Hangzhou has made seasonal travel an option for many families. The city's breaks are typically scheduled in late April and late September, linking with May Day and National Day holidays.
