China: Public discontent over working on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve holds a special significance for the people of China, being the most sacred moment of the year. Many travel thousands of miles to be with their families during this special occasion. However, the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, will officially implement a no-night-off policy on New Year's Eve in 2024, encouraging people to take alternative rest days. Once again, this has sparked public dissatisfaction, causing a storm on Chinese social media, and making workers uneasy. On October 25th, the General Office of the State Council issued a notice regarding arranging some holidays in 2024, including eight consecutive days off during the Chinese New Year. Still, New Year's Eve will not be included. This arrangement has led to online discussions, with netizens commenting, Why waste one day off each year on this day? My annual leave is for emergencies. If there is no day off, I will apply for leave. Anyway, I have decided to have dinner on New Year's Eve. Workers are encouraged to rest, but what if the employer does not implement it? If we don't celebrate New Year's Eve, what is the meaning of the festival? Feels like being abandoned. The taste of the new year will fade away. A People's Daily researcher at China University, Liu Erduo, told China News Weekly that whether businesses and organizations should have the night off on New Year's Eve is, in essence, vague handling, as some enterprises may not implement it due to cost considerations. Liu stated, It is equivalent to the 8 plus 1 holiday. This ambiguous approach is not suitable. In the Chinese mindset, New Year's Eve is more important than having a larger number of days off.