The sixth May Day "Golden Week" has ended.

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Commerce indicated that hotels, retailers, and restaurants earned more than they did during the May Day "Golden Week" last year, although the growth rate was lower than previous years.

"Golden Week" was initiated in 2000 with the aim of stimulating tourism and other sectors in the service industry at a time when domestic consumption was weak. The week, in short, is mainly about digging for gold.

Counting how much people have earned has become a natural act after each "Golden Week."

There have also been calls to protect consumers and ensure transport safety. But most attention is still focused on this question: How much money has been spent during the week?

Increasingly, this kind of thinking appears to be inappropriate and beside the point.

Holidays, first and foremost, are about having days off to take part in recreational activities.

The first concern should be about whether all workers are enjoying the right to have the public holiday off.

In fact, workers being stripped of this right is not a rare phenomenon. Because of a fear of displeasing bosses, employees in many companies - particularly those employing migrant workers - dare not refuse to work overtime during the holidays.

Over-crowded trains and tourist sites and poor services during the "Golden Weeks" have prompted calls for introducing a paid-leave system nationwide to stagger the time people have off work.

However, many bosses defy the government's holidays without being punished, so it is almost certain that they will never grant paid-leave to their employees during other periods of the year.

Legal enforcement is key here. Although the country has its Labor Law, it is not enforced effectively.

Another issue that needs consideration is how to offer more choices for people to spend the long holiday.

"What shall I do during the seven days?" is a question many people ask before the break.

Apart from those who joined the traveling or shopping crowds, people ended up idling around or watching bland programs on television.

Life is of course not only about traveling, shopping and watching TV.

But it has been a problem for a long time that people do not have enough recreational activities. The cultural activities that have developed rapidly in recent years are mostly those that have a high commercial motive.

The week-long holidays have made the shortage of meaningful recreational activities more acutely felt.

There are other problems that we found during the holidays, such as people's habit of littering. It is reported that workers collected 19 tons of garbage in Tian'anmen Square on May Day alone, five times the normal figure.

All these issues mentioned above have no quick cure and it needs effort from all sections of society if we really want to deal with them.

But one thing is certain, holiday-making is not only about spending money.

(China Daily May 10, 2005)