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0Erinome:Hello dear friends! Welcome to our podcast. Today we’re talking about an exciting news for students in China—Zhejiang province just started a new holiday plan! I’m Erinome, and with me is Enceladus.
Enceladus:Hi everyone! Oh, new holidays? For students? That sounds fun! What kind of holidays?
Erinome:They’re called “spring and autumn holidays” for primary and middle school students. And guess what? Zhejiang is the first province in China to have this plan for all its cities!
Enceladus:Wow, really? The first in the whole country? When did this happen?
Erinome:On October 9th, all 11 cities in Zhejiang released their plans. So now every city there will have these holidays.
Enceladus:Wait, what are spring and autumn holidays exactly? Are they like summer or winter vacation?
Erinome:No, not really. They’re short holidays, different from the long summer or winter breaks. Like, in spring and autumn semesters, students get a few extra days off.
Enceladus:Oh right! Shorter than summer vacation. How did Zhejiang start this? Did they try it before?
Erinome:Yep! Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, started testing spring holidays back in 2004. You know, like a small trial first.
Enceladus:2004? That’s early! So they had experience. How did that trial go?
Erinome:Good, I think. In recent years, Hangzhou’s spring holiday is around May, and autumn around October. This year, they even added after-school care for kids whose parents can’t stay with them.
Enceladus:After-school care? Like activities for the kids during the holiday?
Erinome:Exactly! For example, a school in Hangzhou—Jiangzhuying School—had over 60 students in their spring care class. They invited outside teachers to teach them to make “electronic picture books.”
Enceladus:Oh! Electronic picture books? With AI? That’s cool! Did the kids like it?
Erinome:Haha, probably! They could make a few pages in one class, and in 4 days, each kid made their own AI storybook. How fun is that?
Enceladus:So other cities in Zhejiang are now doing this too? When do they have the holidays?
Erinome:Different cities have different times, but most autumn holidays are in November. They connect the holiday days with weekends to make a 5-day break!
Enceladus:5 days? Nice! Like, 3 holiday days plus 2 weekend days?
Erinome:Yes! For example, Ningbo’s autumn holiday is November 12-14 this year. Then with November 15-16 weekends, that’s 5 days off.
Enceladus:What about Jiaxing? Any info on that?
Erinome:Jiaxing’s Nanhu District has the same dates as Ningbo—November 12-14. So 3 days holiday plus 2 weekends, 5 days total.
Enceladus:Do all cities have 3 days? What about Jinhua?
Erinome:Jinhua’s cities like Yiwu and Dongyang have 3 days too, but in late November—November 21-25, including the weekend. So flexible, right?
Enceladus:Wow, flexible for local needs. Who decides the dates then?
Erinome:The cities and counties make their own plans. The Zhejiang education department said they respect local differences. Over ten departments work together to support it.
Enceladus:That’s a lot of help! So why is this important? Just more holidays?
Erinome:A researcher from China Education Academy, Chu Zhaohui, said study isn’t only in classrooms. These holidays let kids go outside, into nature or society. Good for their social development.
Enceladus:Oh right! Like learning from real life, not just books. That makes sense.
Erinome:Exactly! And other provinces are trying too. Like Hubei Lichuan had a spring holiday connected with Qingming Festival. Guangdong Foshan is testing 5 days—3 autumn, 2 spring.
Enceladus:So Zhejiang is leading, and others might follow?
Erinome:Maybe! The national government also encouraged places to try these holidays, as long as total school days don’t change. They just adjust the time.
Enceladus:Parents must be happy? More time with kids, or easier to plan trips?
Erinome:Probably! But some might worry about childcare, hence the after-school care services. Like Hangzhou’s example.
Enceladus:Smart. So kids have fun, parents have support. Win-win?
Erinome:I think so! It’s a new way to make study more diverse.
Enceladus:That’s cool. So Zhejiang really set a good example here.
Erinome:Yep! First province in China to do this全省 (quansheng—whole province). Pretty big step.
Enceladus:Sad for students in other provinces? Maybe not yet, but maybe soon!
Erinome:Haha, maybe! Let’s hope more places try.
Enceladus:Well, that’s interesting. Short holidays, flexible times, help from many departments… sounds like a good plan.
Erinome:Totally! Okay, time to wrap up. Thanks for listening, everyone!
Enceladus:Yeah, hope you learned something new. See you next time!
Erinome:Bye!
Enceladus:Bye!
