Damadames: China's secret weapon

Hit litterbugs with fines, not insults

Overall, things are getting better now, what with the availability of high-speed trains and the affordability of flights. Colleges tend to stagger the departure and arrival dates for their students, and the army of migrant workers is thinning.

What the survey failed to take into account, however, was that most of its respondents were white-collar workers. Those with more flexible schedules did not figure properly in the results.

The Labor Day and National Day "golden weeks", which were implemented for several years before the former was discontinued, have already displayed to the fullest both the pros and cons of a weeklong holiday. Retaining one of the weeks seems good for experimentation partly because either falls at the beginning or end of a tourist season. Other than that, there are workers whose jobs leave absolutely no room for flexibility in the shuffling of workdays, and therefore depend on such weeks for serious sightseeing.

The real solution lies in paid vacations that are granted by the employer. This system is at its early stage in China and is embraced only by employers with strong financial backup, such as government organizations and State-owned companies. It is difficult to enforce among the millions of private businesses, especially those with limited size and wherewithal.

Think of it this way: If you are self-employed, you don't really need a government edict to tell you when to take time off and for how long. If a legal holiday falls at a busy time in your business, you'll probably keep working and take it when everyone else is back at work.

It may sound far-fetched, but a fundamental improvement in the nation's holiday scheme hinges on respect for private businesses, the protection of their rights and interests, and the lowering of their tax burden.

Yes, some of the high-tech companies have enormous clout, and entrepreneurship is always encouraged, but it is the millions of small-and medium-sized companies that can put a dent into the unemployment rate and lift the biggest chunk of the lower and lower-middle class to a lifestyle with benefits such as health insurance and paid vacations.

In that sense, there is not much the government can do. If it forces every employer to give every employee a certain number of days as paid vacation, it will simply push a large number of them over the cliff into bankruptcy and closure. Only when most are thriving will they willingly give such benefits to those who helped them succeed.

While it is honorable to fight for one's rights or perks, there is an undeniable whiff of a getting-more-forless mentality. If someone offers 22 days of civic holiday, he or she will become a national hero. But would that be feasible? Should China march in the welfare-state direction of some European nations?

Before we imitate the enviable benefits enjoyed in those countries, we should study their success and make entrepreneurship, not paper-shuffling civil service, the envy of the nation's young. Beyond a certain measure, things have to be earned one way or another.

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