During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday this year, China has granted an 8-day break. In order to attract tourists and stimulate consumption, many government canteens across the country have opened their doors to visitors, offering affordable meals. In some places, the cost of meals is even based on the ingredients used, sparking criticism from netizens who question whether the government canteens are “competing with restaurants” and causing hardship for eateries outside.
According to reports from The Paper, during the extended holiday season, government canteens in various regions such as Yangzhou City in Jiangsu, Quzhou City in Zhejiang, Rongchang District in Chongqing, Dunhuang City in Gansu, Huangzhou District in Huanggang City, Ba Gongshan District Committee and Government in Huainan City in Anhui have opened to the public.
For example, the government canteen in Chibi City, Hubei, has introduced an 18-yuan special set meal, with the option for diners to add extra dishes for free. The special set meal priced at 18 yuan includes dishes such as Chibi Guandao fish, handmade fish balls, steamed lotus root, and more, with visitors able to choose three meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes. The dishes and soup can be refilled for free. Additionally, they also offer free Chibi blue brick tea, Mid-Autumn mooncakes, and mineral water.
Apart from opening government canteens, the Huangzhou District Committee in Huanggang City, Hubei, also provides free parking for visitors.
In Dunhuang City, Gansu, the government canteen with three different branches provides breakfast and lunch during the long holiday period. They offer 16 types of breakfast dishes and 20 types of lunch dishes, all priced based on the cost of ingredients. Meals are provided in buffet style, with breakfast at 10 yuan for adults and lunch at 20 yuan for adults, while children under 1.5 meters are charged half price.
The practice of opening government canteens to the public during the long holidays in Quzhou City has been in place since 2019.
In light of the continuous economic decline in China since the 2019 epidemic, the official decision to arrange 5-day and 8-day holidays each year is aimed at boosting domestic demand by stimulating travel consumption.
Some netizens express that this move “convenient for out-of-town visitors” and is “very good.” However, others believe that it is “competing with restaurants,” causing eateries outside to struggle with rent, with sentiments like “after so much effort to survive until the golden holiday, this is what happens.”