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Download The national body responsible for deciding China's holiday dates has released the national holiday schedule for 2017, provoking mixed reactions from the public. The schedule, issued by the General Office of the State Council on Wednesday, links official holiday periods with weekends, thus extending the number of consecutive days workers can take off. The new arrangement means that Spring Festival and National Day holidays will be extended to seven-day breaks. Meanwhile, Tomb Sweeping Day, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival will become three-day holidays, or long weekends. However, New Year will be a one-day holiday. Excluding the attached weekends, there will be 11 official days off in 2017, a figure similar to previous years. "I was hoping the total number of national holidays would increase. It is really disappointing that it didn't go up at all," said Cheng Jia, 30, from Beijing. Another Beijing resident, Wei Bo, 59, said: "I do not see much difference between the schedule for 2017 and previous years, except for the arrangement for Spring Festival holidays. According to the new schedule, we will still have to work on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve - the time we are supposed to have our family reunion. This is so inhumane." Also on Wednesday, the State Council released amendments to the National Annual Leave and Memorial Days regulation dealing with national holidays. Enacted in 1949 and amended several times, it stipulates the specific days and lengths of national holidays. | 
