14 pct Chinese stay at work as millions head for holiday

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Grabbing their bags and rushing towards train stations and airports, most Chinese people have set out for their long-waited journey on Sunday, as soon as the eight-day National Day holiday began.

According to the National Tourism Administration, an estimated 710 million Chinese people would be traveling during the holiday, accounting for 10 percent of the world’s general population. The tourist revenue is expected to rise by 12.2 percent to 590 billion yuan (88 billion US dollars).

However, even half of the country’s population have been enjoying a slowing down from their busy routines, there are still plenty of people remaining on the working posts. A survey provided by cellphone application Maimai and home-sharing site Xiaozhu.com, nearly 14 percent of the employees will have to work during the eight days.

People waiting at the railway station in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. /Photo via People's Daily

The survey shows that 13.7 percent of the 357,218 respondents will stay at work, and most of them are in sales positions.

Working on a holiday

According to Chongqing Evening Paper, a 10-year-old boy was found walking alone towards an expressway toll station linking his hometown Wuxi county and Hunan Province ahead of the holiday. Stopped by the traffic police, the boy confessed that he was planning to walk to the province hundreds of kilometers away to meet his parents, without informing them.

10-year-old boy talking to traffic police in Chongqing. /Photo via Chongqing Evening Paper

Both his parents have been working in Hunan Province, and they are among those who have to work during the National Day holiday.

“I want to surprise them,” he said. However, without an ID card, which is required to buy a long-distance bus ticket, the boy finally decided to walk.

He was sent back home by the police, and after learning about the whole story, his parents have made a plan of going back home after the holiday.

For the members of the Chinese women’s volleyball team, the holiday will be all about training. The national training has begun, despite the fact that they have just made it into the 2018 FIVB World Championship, after sweeping through the qualification with a 3-0 in four matches.

Lang Ping, coach of China's Women's Volleyball Team, talking to members. /Photo via Tencent News‍

The team has released a list of 17 selected members to attend the training days before the holiday, with 13 of them new faces. Lang Ping, head coach of China’s women’s volleyball team, said that they will focus on training during the National Day holiday as well as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Most of the new players were selected for their performances at the Asian Volleyball Championship and the Women’s U20 World Championship. The replenishment and training are getting the younger generation of players prepared for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, as well as to replace the retiring veterans.

National flags hanging along the street. /CNS Photo

There are also people working in the transportation sectors, such as the railway staff and traffic police, and journalists from broadcasters and agencies, as well as those working in the service industries, who might even be busier than usual.

But as tourist attractions become crowded with travelers from across the country, people who have to stay in metropolis such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou would usually find the streets and subways emptier, and traffic jams are much relieved as well.

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