In about one week, we will usher in the Labor Day holiday, which will be extended to 5 days across the country, starting from May 1 to May 5.

In the meantime, April 25 (Sunday) and May 8 (Saturday) will be marked as additional working days to compensate for the long holiday break.

People visit Shenzhen Safari Park during the Qingming Festival holiday. (Photo: Zhu Hongbo)

According to the holiday schedule, you can enjoy a longer holiday for nine days or even 11 days if you ask for leave properly.

Plan A: Ask for a three-day leave on May 6-8, and you will have a nine-day holiday from May 1 to May 9.

Plan B: Ask for a five-day leave on May 6-8 and May 10-11, then you will enjoy an 11-day holiday. An important note: you'd better ask for statutory annual leave to avoid possible salary deduction.

People visit Splendid China Folk Village in Shenzhen during the Qingming Festival holiday. (Photo: Lu Li)

In addition, train tickets to some of the most popular destinations for this year's May Day holiday sold out the moment they became available on April 17, foretelling an explosive holiday season.

Apart from railway travel, China's domestic civil aviation industry has also come back with a vengeance, based on bookings for the coming holiday. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the five-day May Day holiday will "fully release" the transportation demand in China that had been previously suppressed by the pandemic.

People wait for their trains at the Guangzhou South Railway Station during the Qingming Festival holiday. (Photo: Xiao Xiong)

Therefore, if you plan for a long-distance travel, you'd better book your tickets or hotels as early as possible.

The CDC however, continues to recommend that we still wear masks, avoid large gatherings, keep our distance from others when in public and wash our hands often.

Author | Monica

Editor | Jerry