北京：“假期还没开始，我们就已经累坏了，只想躺着什么都不想做。”这条来自微博用户的抱怨，反映了众多中国劳动者对这一长期存在的政策的无奈与不满。每年，中国政府都会调整工作日安排，以延长公共假期时长；而数百万民众正在为从10月1日开始的“黄金周”假期做准备。
BEIJING: “Before the holiday has even begun, we’re already so exhausted that all we want to do is lie down and do nothing.”That complaint from a user on the popular Weibo microblogging site is among a wave of frustration from workers in China over the country’s longstanding practice of shifting workdays to create longer public holidays, as millions prepare for the annual Golden Week break beginning on Thursday (Oct 1).
今年的“黄金周”假期紧随9月25日至27日的中秋节之后，再次引发了关于中国“调休”制度是否真的能让劳动者获得更多休息时间的争论。根据这一制度，当公共假期落在工作日中间时，劳动者会获得更长的连续休息时间；而工作日的休息时间则会被调整到假期的前后周末。
Coming just days after the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sep 25 to Sep 27, this year’s Golden Week holiday has reignited debate over whether China’s“tiaoxiu” or adjusted rest, system actually gives workers more time off - or simply leaves them more exhausted. The tiaoxiu policy creates longer, uninterrupted breaks when public holidays fall in the middle of a working week. Weekday breaks are effectively swapped with working days on weekends before or after the holiday.
按照现行规定，劳动者需要在9月20日（星期日）上班，以弥补10月1日至7日假期期间被占用的工作日。随后，他们又必须在10月10日（星期六）继续上班，以补上剩余的工作日。
Under the arrangement, workers were required to work on Sep 20, a Sunday, to make up for one of the working days that fell within the Oct 1 to 7 holiday period. They will then have to return to work the following Saturday on Oct 10 - to make up for the remaining working day.
然而，由于中秋节和“黄金周”今年相隔时间很短，劳动者们开始质疑这一制度究竟能给他们带来多少真正的休息时间。
But with the Mid-Autumn Festival and Golden Week falling within days of each other this year, workers are questioning how much additional rest the policy actually provides.
一位使用“doctor Xu Chao”用户名的微博用户指出：“七天的‘黄金周’假期其实只包括三个法定公共假期（国庆节）、两个周末休息日，以及另外两个从其他周末调整过来的休息日。如果没有‘调休’制度的话，我们实际上只有五天的假期时间。”
A Weibo user by the handle doctor Xu Chao, noted that the seven-day Golden Week break comprises three statutory public holidays for National Day, two weekend days and two days shifted from other weekends. “If there’s no tiaoxiu, it looks like we would only have five days of holidays,” Xu wrote.
“对于那些想要旅行或探亲的人来说，这确实足够了；但对于许多在职成年人来说，这种安排会打乱他们的工作和休息时间，导致他们的日程安排变得混乱不堪。”另一位用户“Yang Xiaolei forever”则质疑：为什么不能干脆将这两个假期合并在一起呢？
“For those who want to travel and visit their relatives, it’s definitely enough. “But for some working adults, this would disrupt their work days and rest days, throwing their work schedules out of sync as well.”Another user, Yang Xiaolei forever, questioned why the two holiday periods were not simply combined.
“如果‘调休’（tiaoxiu）真的是为了让大家休息的话，为什么我们不干脆从9月25日直接休到10月4日呢？”这位用户写道。“适当的休息时间当然是必要的。”
“If tiaoxiu is required, why didn't we just (have a long holiday) from Sep 25 to Oct 4?” the user wrote. “MORE REST, WITHIN REASON”
这场争论也引发了更广泛的讨论：这个假期制度的设立，究竟是为了让员工得到休息，还是为了在节假日期间刺激消费？
The debate has also sparked broader discussion over whether the system is designed primarily to give workers a break or to stimulate consumption during concentrated holiday periods.
在微博上，有一个标签（大致意思是“‘调休’的目的不是为了休息，而是为了鼓励消费”），但在该平台上无法查看相关内容。
A Weibo hashtag translating roughly as “Tiaoxiu is not for rest, it’s to encourage spending” was inaccessible on the platform.
CNA在网站上看到的一条通知称：“由于相关法律法规的限制，我们无法展示与这个话题相关的内容。”不过，一些个人发布的讨论帖子仍然可以正常查看。
“Due to related laws and policies, we are not able to display content related to this topic,” read a notice on the site seen by CNA. Some individual posts discussing the issue, however, remained accessible.
一位使用“Don’t squeeze my bubble”这个用户名的用户表示：“关于‘调休’和消费支出的争论在微博的热门搜索中反复出现。”
A user with the handle “Don’t squeeze my bubble” said debate over tiaoxiu and consumer spending repeatedly surfaces on Weibo’s trending searches.
“从理论上讲，假期天数似乎增加了，但实际上休息时间并没有多少。”这位用户说，“很多人之所以对这个话题如此激动，只是因为他们希望得到更多的休息时间——当然，这种休息是合理的。”
“On paper, it looks like you're given more days of break, but in actual fact, there isn't a lot,” the user said. “The reason why (so many) people get heated over the topic is because we just want more rest, and within reason.”
假期消费成为焦点这场争论发生在中国即将迎来一年中最大规模旅游旺季的时候。
HOLIDAY SPENDING IN FOCUS The debate comes as China prepares for one of its biggest annual travel periods.
“黄金周”（Golden Week）历来被视为衡量家庭消费水平的重要指标。
Golden Week is typically closely watched as a gauge of household spending.
据路透社报道，今年的假期期间，消费者需求疲软，通缩压力持续存在，房地产市场持续低迷，这对房主、租客和房东都产生了影响。
This year’s holiday comes amid weak consumer demand, deflationary pressures and a prolonged property market downturn affecting homeowners, tenants and landlords alike, Reuters reported.
观察人士希望延长的假期能够提振旅游业，但尚不清楚强劲的旅游需求是否能够转化为相应的消费增长。
Observers are hopeful that the extended holiday period will provide a boost to the tourism sector, but it remains unclear whether strong travel demand will translate into similarly strong spending.
根据路透社基于中国政府数据的统计，去年“黄金周”的旅游人次虽然增加了，但每次旅行的平均消费额却降至三年来的最低水平——911.04元人民币（约合135.70美元）。不过，仍有迹象表明旅游需求依然强劲。
Travel volume rose during last year’s Golden Week, but average spending per trip fell to a three-year low of 911.04 yuan (US$135.70), according to Reuters calculations based on Chinese government data. But there are still signs that travel demand will be robust.
在周一发布的一份报告中，官方支持的《中国日报》指出，中国的航空业正在为假期期间的旅客流量激增做准备。各大机场预计将迎来大量旅客，尤其是国际旅行的增长尤为显著。
In a report on Monday, state-affiliated newspaper China Daily noted that the country’s aviation sector was preparing for a surge in passenger traffic over the holiday period - with major airports expecting heavy passenger flows and particularly strong growth in international travel.
据《中国日报》报道，北京首都国际机场在黄金周假期期间预计将处理超过166万次旅客出行，平均每天约23.7万名旅客。
Beijing Capital International Airport is expected to handle more than 1.66 million passenger trips during the Golden Week holiday - roughly an average of around 237,000 passengers a day.
其他热门的国内目的地包括上海、广州、深圳、成都、重庆和贵阳；而曼谷、新加坡、胡志明市和巴厘岛则是中国旅客的主要国际目的地。
Other popular domestic destinations include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing and Guiyang - with Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Bali among leading international destinations for Chinese travellers, China Daily said.