The government introduced the "Golden week" holidays in 1999 but found the week-long holidays caused problems such as overcrowding, poor service, a scarcity of hotel rooms and damage to scenic spots.

Last year, the government sought opinions online and decided to abandon the May Day "Golden week".

The Lantern Festival was then not included in the list because the date was very close to the Spring Festival, according to the official explanation.

The Lantern Festival, also called Yuan Xiao Festival, takes place under the first full moon of lunar calendar. The festival dates back to the Han Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,000 years.
 
There are many forms of entertainment available during the Festival, such as making and exhibiting lanterns, guessing games, lion dancing and stilt-walking.

Another important part of the Lantern Festival is eating small dumpling balls called Yuanxiao or Tangyuan, which are made of glutinous rice flour, sometimes rolled around a filling of sesame, peanuts, vegetables or meat.
 
The festival is widely celebrated by Chinese communities around the world.