A student from a sister school in Palmerston North, New Zealand (center), practices martial arts exercises together with pupils from Liu'an Road Primary School in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province, on September 15, 2025. Photo: VCG

China on Tuesday proposed introducing spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary schools, while shortening the duration of traditional summer and winter vacations, as part of a broader effort to stimulate service consumption.

The plan, in a slew of measures to boost services consumption, said that local governments are encouraged to adjust the academic calendar based on factors like climate conditions with the precondition of the total number of vacation days and teaching hours will remain unchanged, according to the official website of Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

A key proposal involves exploring the introduction of spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary schools, which would be offset by shortening summer and winter vacations, the MOFCOM said.

This restructuring aims to create more opportunities for service consumption, such as tourism and travel, the MOFCOM said. 

Global Times