Now Shenzhen | July 24, 2023
AFTER three years of staying put due to the restrictions brought by the pandemic, Chinese parents nationwide are taking their wanderlust-ridden children on tours this summer vacation. Accompanying the crowds are soaring air fares, hotel room rates and “booked out” notices from hot destinations such as the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Waiting in the scorching sun in long queues to ride a rollercoaster or to enter an exhibition has led to numerous online posts complaining about unsatisfactory experiences, bearing such exaggerated titles as “Parents returning from summer tours with kids are actually weeping.”
While parents lament the high prices they pay for experiences that fall far below their expectations, tour industry insiders complain about heavy workloads, despite increased incomes that may be equal to half a year’s total during the pandemic.
One extreme case involved a 48-year-old Beijing tour guide, who died July 2 due to heatstroke at the Summer Palace, leaving his elder parents unattended as he was the only son in the family.
Gong He complained more than once to a friend that he was too tired to work before his tragic death, but couldn’t find another to work in his place, as all the tour guides he knew were also fully booked.
In another shocking incident, it was reported that the camels for tourists to ride in the Crescent Spring scenic spot in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province collectively “went on strike” due to “overwork” recently, according to netizens.
After a temporary suspension of the camel riding project “out of consideration for the health of the camels and the safety of the tourists,” the camels resumed work Wednesday, according to Chinese reports. There has been a significant increase in visitor numbers during the summer vacation, but there are only a few more than 1,000 camels available for the rides. As a result, some of the camels were exhausted after “working overtime.”
As all are aware of the uncomfortable hot weather and dizzying crowds at tourist destinations during summer vacation, Chinese parents are left with limited choices for arranging their children’s summer vacations. Many have also saved their own paid leave for this period so that they could take kids to travel.
Unlike many other nations, where there are three semesters a year and a spring vacation is often arranged around Easter, Chinese students have only two semesters. As the month-long winter vacation is scheduled around the Spring Festival, a traditional time for family reunions, it leaves little choice for Chinese parents except to take their children to travel during summer vacation.
Also, given the freezing cold in many destinations in winter and the inconvenience of traveling in thick clothes and possibility of catching a cold, people are more willing to travel in the hot summer, neglecting the potential health hazard of heatwaves.
In countries like the U.K., for example, regional education authorities are responsible for scheduling each year’s school holidays to accommodate their own needs.
In the case of China, it’s feasible to cut the length of winter vacation and add a two-week spring vacation surrounding Tomb-sweeping Day in April. Regional education authorities can also consider adding a weeklong autumn vacation if that suits their needs.
Several studies indicate that performance nosedives when we work for extended periods without a break. In addition, the benefits of taking a vacation are clear: It results in improved productivity, lower stress and better overall mental health. It also spurs greater creativity — for example, Lin-Manuel Miranda conceived of “Hamilton” while on vacation. But it’s dubious that he could still have produced the hit musical on a traveling vacation hurrying from one tourist destination to the next amid huge crowds.
So adding a spring and/or autumn vacation and breaking up a long semester will certainly do more good than evil.
As we read admiringly about students in some Western countries taking a gap year traveling on work holiday visas outside their home country, the least we can do for our kids is to stagger the school holidays so that they can travel in a more agreeable weather with smaller crowds.
ARTICLE FROM: Shenzhen Daily