In China, if Labour Day (May 1st) falls on a Saturday, the “in lieu” day off, meaning the day that is given as a substitute holiday, would typically be the following Monday, May 2nd, as it’s common practice to shift weekend days to create a longer holiday period around national holidays like Labour day which is common place in Western countries

However in China  national holidays often involve “adjusting” (调休 tiáoxiū) weekend days into working days, to extend the holiday period by aligning holidays with weekends. It’s been in place place since 1999 when the authorities modified the holiday system, extending Labour Day to three days from one. 

But to achieve that, “adjusted days” were taken from weekends before and after to create one chunk of time-off.

Originally intended to provide workers with more time to rest, it became a lever to stimulate the holiday economy, giving rise to the concept of “Golden Week” (黄金周), when it feels like everyone in China is all on holiday at the same time. Labour day is one of the three “golden week” national holidays in China. This year, not including the two weekend days in the Labor Day break (May 4 and 5), and the two adjusted days from the weekends before and after the holiday, the break actually only offers one additional day off. And people are much less in the mood for opening anyway. So it’s a “fake holiday” according to an entertaining play on words: “It’s not a holiday, but a fake break.” (这不是放假，而是“假放”)