On the morning of May 16th, over 2000 students from the first middle school of Wenshang County in Jining, Shandong Province gathered in the school square, chanting “holiday” slogans to protest against the school’s continuous reduction of student rest time.
According to the self-media group “Yesterday” that focuses on mainland China group events, the trigger of the incident was the school’s decision to extend the weekend dismissal time from 3:50 pm to 5:50 pm without permission, in order to increase exam time. The student protest lasted for about 45 minutes, ultimately forcing the school to withdraw the decision to delay the dismissal. Subsequently, students gradually returned to their classrooms.
The revelation stated that this protest stemmed from the school’s long-term relentless reduction of student rest time. The Wenshang First Middle School had implemented a four-week day off system for a long time, which changed to a one day off per week system in 2024. However, after the current vice principal took office, there were continuous cuts to student rest time, attempting to reintroduce the “four weeks day off” system, leading to escalating grievances.
On the night of May 15th, upon learning about the school’s plan to delay dismissal, students’ dissatisfaction quickly spread, and they rapidly organized through word of mouth to discuss protest demands and determine the action plan.
Around 9:50 am on May 16th, students from the third floor of the school building were the first to rush out of their classrooms, shouting slogans like “holiday,” and gathered in the school square. Following that, over 2000 students from the first and second year quickly joined the action.
A video showed students writing in the “Wenshang First Middle School Student Declaration”: “Thousands of students, united in anger, must stay true to themselves, stand up for their rights, and never yield to unreasonable restrictions!”
The students’ protest ultimately succeeded, with the school announcing the restoration of the original dismissal time at 3:50 pm. According to students responding on social media posts, this protest was not a mere disturbance, but a defense of their own interests.