Unattainable triple overtime pay
Due to special attributes of certain industries, some employees were required to work during the national holiday. Despite the legal rule of a triple salary during holidays, employers still try to diminish the "extra costs."
According to Chinese law, employees should be paid 300% of the normal standard between October 1st and 3rd; in the last four days, the employers must either arrange a complementary break or pay double the normal standards.
China National Radio reported on October 7 that an employee surnamed Li at a private company said employees have to apply for the special payment for holiday labor, but department leaders won't usually sign the documents.
Lawyers also reflect on the realistic situation concerning the law. If employees want their unpaid earnings back, they have to either consume a huge amount of time and energy on the process or spend a large amount on a counsel fee for legal assistance.
Wedding dilemma
A holiday is usually the peak time for weddings throughout the year. As the statistics revealed by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce indicated, weddings became the main force of the one-billion-yuan holiday economic prosperity in the municipality.
The Guangzhou Daily reported on October 7 that an office worker surnamed Xie was invited to five weddings in three days. He could only attend some of the banquets. He felt happy for his friends and relatives, but at the same time sorry for his wallet—it is a Chinese tradition to seal money in a red envelope as a gift to the newly-weds, and the closer the mutual relationship is, the more cash should be given.
For most young people of the 1980s generation, the National Day holiday is far more that merely an opportunity to take a rest.
A CNS survey in Zhengzhou found that many young locals choose to dive into the endless crowds all over the country to flee from cash-burning and leisure-killing weddings.
Wang Lan, 26, said "I would rather go traveling and squeeze into the crowds than waste my holiday on weddings."
Expensive but popular pet stores
Pets were sent to special pet care centers and schools, when their "parents" visited other cities and wanted to have their "kids" attended to.
A pet owner surnamed Liang in Shunde left her golden retriever "Wangwang" at a pet hospital during her three-day leave, reported the Guangzhou Daily on October 8. It cost her over 300 yuan for the service.
The high prices didn't cool down their business though. A worker at a local pet hospital told the Guangzhou Daily that customers increased by 30% during the holiday. All pet cages were booked in the first three days.
