China may cancel one of its three gold-week holidays to ease traffic and relieve the burden upon the environment caused when 1.3 billion Chinese take a holiday at the same time, China News Services reported today, citing the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po.

The newspaper's report quoted an official from the country's State Tourism Administration in the wake of numerous complaints and appeals from domestic residents, according to Wen Wei Po.

A survey conducted this year by media on the Chinese mainland shows more than 60 percent of the 3,071 participants agreed "some reforms should be taken" against current golden-week holiday arrangements.

China now has three week-long holidays for the Chinese Lunar New Year, May Day and National Day. The May Day holiday is the most likely to be cut, according to the report.

The official also told Wen Wei Po that arguments against a proposal to reform week-long holidays has "reached its final stage" and the plan will come into effect once it gets approval from the National People's Congress.

"It's not simple work to decide whether some traditional holidays in China can be added as national holidays," the official told the newspaper. "A new list of holidays has been basically nailed down, but it's not the right time to release it."

Previous reports said the Dragon Boat Festival – the fifth day of the fifth month according to the lunar calendar -- and the Middle Autumn Festival may be listed as statutory holidays, with people getting two days off work.

The first golden-week holiday began on National Day, or October 1, 1999.

Domestic scenic spots harvested 14.1 billion yuan (US$1.88 billion) from up to 28 million people traveling around China during the first golden-week holiday, while the figures soared to 350 billion yuan in the past National Day holiday.

The number of people stopping at several famous sight-seeing spots surpassed their maximum capabilities. Jiuzhaigou in central China's Sichuan Province, which is famous for its natural beauty, limited visitors for the first time during the last National Day holiday.

(Shanghai Daily October 8, 2007)