Chinese Students Told to Fall in Love As Beijing Targets Births, Consumption
By Reuters | 18 Mar, 2026

Anxious to reverse its population decline and to spur growth through consumption, China is pushing spring and autumn school breaks and staggered paid leave from work to encourage more travel and leisure.

Couples prepare to get their photo taken during a wedding photography shoot on a street, in Shanghai, China September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

A Chinese university is urging students to "enjoy the flowers, fall in love" during their mid-term break, an unusual directive in a nation obsessed with getting good grades, as authorities seek new ways to spur marriages and domestic consumption.

"See the flowers and enjoy romance" is the theme for the spring holidays from April 1 to 6, the Sichuan Southwest Vocational College of Aviation said on its official Wechat account.

Tuesday's notice exhorting teachers and students to put down the books came about two weeks after China said it would introduce spring and autumn holidays for schools, in addition to the traditional times of summer and winter.

Authorities have said they will also encourage staggered paid leave to enable workers to travel in off-peak seasons.

Provinces such as Sichuan and eastern Jiangsu, along with cities like Suzhou and Nanjing, have unveiled plans for spring breaks, most set for April or early May.

China seeks to boost domestic consumption by encouraging travel and leisure activities among its population of 1.4 billion. Authorities also hope more free time will set the stage for births to reverse a worrisome trajectory of decline.

In 2025, the population fell for a fourth consecutive year, as the birth rate dropped to a record low, with experts warning of further decline.

Beijing also issued a guideline on Tuesday to promote child-friendly development, the powerful state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said in a notice.

It called for coordinated efforts to bring about "child-friendly cities", by improving public services in areas from education and health to travel, sports and recreation. 

Society needs to have enough time and money to raise children, said James Liang, the co-founder of Chinese travel company Trip, who called for more such initiatives. 

"Greater efforts are needed to educate young people on the social and personal benefits of raising larger families," added Liang, who is also a prominent demographic expert.

The government could establish a broader support framework by reallocating resources and boosting financial assistance, he said.

(Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)