【Learn Chinese】Summer Vacation in China: How Chinese Students Spend Their Two Months Off

For every student in China, the best two months of the year are 暑假 (shǔjià) — summer vacation. Running from early July to the end of August, it is the longest holiday of the school year.
Outsiders often have strong opinions about what Chinese summer vacation is like — all tutoring, no fun — but the reality is much more varied. Here is what a typical summer looks like for students across China.

First, there is one universal truth: 暑假作业 (shǔjià zuòyè) — summer homework. Every student gets a thick workbook for each subject, plus reading assignments, diary entries and sometimes project work. It is meant to keep students from forgetting what they learned over the break. A classic summer tradition is rushing to finish all the homework in the last three days before school starts — an experience almost every Chinese adult remembers from their childhood.
For many years, 补习班 (bǔxíbān) — after-school tutoring classes — took up a huge part of summer vacation, especially for middle school and high school students. Since the 双减政策 (shuāngjiǎn zhèngcè) — “double reduction” policy — was introduced in 2021, academic tutoring has been greatly reduced. Today, more and more students spend their summer on interest classes instead: calligraphy, painting, dance, basketball, swimming, piano and robotics are all very popular.
Summer camps are also bigger than ever. There are all kinds: outdoor adventure camps, science camps, military-style training camps, and study tours to other cities. Many primary school students go to camp for one or two weeks with their classmates.

Family travel is another big part of summer vacation. With most parents taking time off in July and August, domestic tourism peaks during summer. Popular destinations include beach cities like Qingdao and Xiamen, mountain retreats like Huangshan, and big cities like Beijing and Xi’an for cultural trips. A lot of families also travel abroad to Southeast Asia or Europe.
For many younger children, summer means staying with 爷爷奶奶 (yéyé nǎinai) — grandparents — while parents work. This is a very common tradition. Grandparents cook for them, take them to the park, and spoil them a little. For many people, their happiest summer memories are from staying at their grandparents’ house in the countryside.

Of course, there is also plenty of lazy time: sleeping in, watching TV, playing games with friends, going to the library, and hanging out at the mall to escape the heat. For most students, summer vacation is a mix of a little work, a little learning, and a lot of relaxing — just like summer vacations anywhere else in the world.