Granted Time Archives - understand-culture

Leave Arranged by the Unit

China’s Regulations on Paid Annual Leave for Employees took effect on January 1, 2008. They grant 5 days of leave a year after one year of work, 10 days after ten years and 15 days after twenty years.

The regulations say who decides when: “The unit, according to the specific circumstances of production and work, and taking into account the wishes of the employee, arranges the employees’ annual leave as a whole.” For leave that is due but not taken, the unit must pay 300 percent of the daily wage.

Leave Left Untaken

In May 2017, a China Youth Daily survey of 1,997 workers found that 64.9 percent worked for units where annual leave had to be taken within the year or it lapsed. Only 30.4 percent said their unit paid 300 percent of the daily wage for leave not taken. 71.5 percent wanted their unit to schedule their paid leave for them.

In January 2025, the Workers’ Daily reported that nearly 70 percent of respondents to a survey had not used all their annual leave for 2024. The report did not say who ran the survey. More than 60 percent of those with leave left had chosen to give it up.

The Five-Day Week

On March 1, 1994, China began an alternating working week. In one week, Saturday and Sunday were rest days. In the next, only Sunday was. The pattern was called 大小周, big and small weeks.

On March 25, 1995, the State Council amended its rules on working hours. From May 1, 1995, employees worked eight hours a day and 40 hours a week, and the five-day week began.

New Year’s Eve Becomes a Holiday

On November 10, 2024, Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decision amending the rules on public holidays. From January 1, 2025, the Spring Festival holiday became four days: New Year’s Eve and the first three days of the first lunar month. Labor Day became two days, May 1 and 2.

One to Three Days

In 1980, the State Labor Administration and the Ministry of Finance issued a notice on marriage and funeral leave for employees of state enterprises. When employees marry, or when a parent, spouse or child dies, “the administrative leader of the unit may, according to the specific circumstances, approve and grant one to three days of marriage or funeral leave at discretion.”

The Vocabulary of Leave

请假 To request leave.

批假 To approve leave.

销假 To close one’s leave. To report back to a superior after an absence.

The Handian dictionary defines 假, leave, as being away from work or study for a time “according to the rules or with approval upon request.”

The End of Big and Small Weeks

On June 24, 2021, the video platform Kuaishou announced that from July 1 it would end 大小周, big and small weeks. According to the National Business Daily, employees would now work overtime as needed and be paid for it.

On July 9, ByteDance announced that from August 1 it would end its own arrangement of working every other Sunday.

When the Leader Leaves

In June 2016, a Guangming Daily commentary by Chen Fang noted that one reason for overtime had again set off heated discussion online: lingdao mei zou shei gan xian zou, “the leader has not left, so who dares to leave first?”

In March 2025, Zhao Lei, a vice president of the appliance maker Midea, described the same scene to the business paper Yicai. “After work, the leader does not leave, so the employees do not leave. But the employees sit there with nothing to do.” Midea said it had issued no notice barring overtime after 6:20 p.m. It said it encourages staff to leave on time.

Adjusted Days Off

On November 4, 2025, the General Office of the State Council announced the public holidays for 2026. The Spring Festival holiday runs from Sunday, February 15, to Monday, February 23, nine days in all. In return, Saturday, February 14, and Saturday, February 28, are working days.

The system is called tiaoxiu, adjusted rest. In 2026 it also turns Sunday, January 4, Saturday, May 9, Sunday, September 20, and Saturday, October 10, into working days.

Huawei’s Strivers

From 2010, according to the business site Huxiu, Huawei promoted a “strivers agreement.” Employees who signed it became fendouzhe, strivers. They gave up annual leave, marriage leave and other benefits, and in return could share in company stock.

In a later court case, Huawei submitted one employee’s pledge: “I voluntarily become a striver, and voluntarily give up paid annual leave and annual leave pay during my work at the company.”