Does happiness, measured by Gross National Happiness (GNH), an indicator which measures public satisfaction, rise or fall during Chinese Spring Festival?

It depends. Chinese Spring Festival means different things to different people.

The cheerful and high spirited festival can be a happy occasion for many Chinese who love to visit friends and relatives but, can be a small burden for farmers, migrant laborers, some urban white-collar workers, and students.

Farm workers' dilemma

Farm workers face many challenges at Spring Festival.

Xiao Wang, who lives in Anhui Province, is a housemaid in Tianjin. She does not feel happy when the traditional festival is mentioned. The first challenge she must overcome is to buy a round-trip train ticket. During the 40-day Spring Festival, China's railways will transport millions of passengers. She will face long lines and large crowds at the ticket office.

Although she arrived at her home in Anhui on the first day of the festival, she dares not overstay her leave because of fear of losing her job in Tianjin.

The second challenge is the heavy expenditure on gifts for family members and relatives. In order to afford these gifts, her husband could not accompany her, he remained in Tianjin selling vegetables.

In addition, the Lunar New Year's traditional custom requires her to give money, at least 100 yuan each, to her parents to show filial piety, and to the children of her relatives.

Some provincial farmers, who go to cities to work, dislike visiting their hometown for a number of reasons: they have rented out their arable land to others; they have no parents to visit; and they have no daily necessities at home, said Xiao Wang. However, their low education level limits their opportunities to merge with the mainstream population in the large cities. They are marginalized and caught between the cities and the rural areas.

White-collar workers' dilemma

Some white-collar employees in large cities suffer from "anxiety syndrome" -- restlessness, irritability, inability to sleep, etc. -- during the holidays.

Experts from the Heilongjiang Psychological Consultant Association point out that these symptoms are common among office workers. Prior to the Chinese New Year, companies will reassign duties and personnel, which force their employees to work longer hours, resulting in anxiety, insomnia and general irritability.

Wang Xin, a young Shanghai employee, worked overtime prior to the festival. Earning 3,000 yuan a month, he needs to buy presents for his parents and friends, give year-end money to children of his brothers and sisters, and host a party for his good friends. His salary is far from being enough.

Experts suggest that when white-collar workers feel under stress, they should talk about their feelings with their best friends. This will provide some degree of comfort and support.

Tough situation for university students

For university students, the holidays mean several days of entertainment with friends or a family reunion. But a large number of students choose to remain at school. They spent their holidays studying or doing part-time work. A report showed that the number of students who remained at the universities during the holidays reached 3,856 in Shanxi Province alone.

The two main reasons for students staying at school are lack of money and the need to work. Students also use this opportunity to get work experience so as to improve their chances of finding a good job in the future.

Chen Hongmei, a fourth-year university student in Shanxi, comes from a poor farmer's family in an economic backward village in Gansu Province. She is the first student in her village to attend the university. It would require more than 500 yuan, or nearly two months' living expenses, for her to visit her parents. Though she misses her home in Gansu very much, she decided to do some part-time work during the vacation, to earn extra living expenses, and gain valuable job training experience. In fact, the majority of her university expenses were paid from her part-time earnings and state loans.

Xue Kezhu, a third-year university student, was born in Gaochan Village in Yanbian, Jilin Province. He is determined to get a masters degree. He decided to continue his studies during the festival. "When I talk with my parents by phone, I believe that we are united as long as we think of each other", he said, with tears in his eyes.

(Source: Beijing Evening News)