BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China is turning a national policy initiative for school spring and autumn breaks into local arrangements, as cities across the country announce autumn holidays for students.
The breaks are designed to enrich students' social experiences and promote their all-round development. They also give families more time for leisure and can help spread tourism spending more evenly throughout the year.
In the latest example, the education bureau of Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province, said on Oct. 9 that all schools providing compulsory education in the city, including private schools, would have a four-day autumn break from Nov. 17 to 20, 2026, and a two-day spring break on April 1-2, 2027. Kindergartens may follow the same arrangement, while high schools can set their own schedules based on their circumstances. The city said it would not require make-up school days after either break.
Local arrangements vary. In Sichuan Province in southwest China, Chengdu will let districts and schools schedule a three-day autumn break over the last three days of the second week of November, linked to the weekend. Zigong has fixed its break for Nov. 16-18, creating a five-day break with the preceding weekend.
In Fuzhou, in the eastern province of Fujian, different districts and county-level areas have different dates. Ningbo, in east China's Zhejiang Province, will schedule its break for Nov. 25-27. Guizhou Province in southwest China has issued guidance setting the autumn break at three days in general, with mid-November as the suggested time.
The moves come about seven months after China's 2026 government work report called for introducing spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary school students in areas where conditions permit, along with a system of staggered paid leave.
Beyond providing students a break from classroom routines, the new arrangements could also encourage families to travel during less busy periods, potentially benefiting tourism and related businesses.
An earlier pilot in Sichuan provided an indication of the possible impact on tourism. During a five-day autumn break in November 2025, ticket bookings for scenic spots in the province more than quadrupled from the same period a year earlier, while bookings for flights departing Chengdu rose 22 percent from the previous week, local media reported.
While social media users generally welcomed the introduction of spring and autumn breaks, some raised practical questions. One user from Guangdong asked who would care for primary school children when parents were working.
Local authorities are working to address childcare needs. Measures in local guidance include school-provided care, study camps and group activities for students whose parents cannot take leave.
In Altay, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the three-day "snow break" scheduled for Dec. 16-18 will be combined with the following weekend to create a five-day holiday.
Authorities there plan to organize activities using local winter resources, including ice-and-snow study trips, winter sports and cultural experiences. Schools will reduce written homework and encourage practical assignments related to winter sports and local ice-and-snow culture. Free school-provided care will be available during the break for students who cannot join study trips.
The arrangements show how school holidays can be adapted to local conditions to extend learning beyond the classroom while giving families more flexibility.
Making the breaks work for families also requires coordination between school calendars and workplace arrangements. Lu Ming, a national political advisor and a professor of economics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said in March that employers should allow greater flexibility during school breaks so parents could adjust shifts or take leave to spend time with their children. Where parents cannot take time off, he said, schools and community organizations could organize activities with government support.
In China, autumn school breaks are tailored to local conditions rather than set under a uniform national system. Their longer-term success will depend not only on school calendars but also on parents' access to leave and the availability of school-provided or community-based care for children whose parents cannot take time off. ■
