How old does one have to be to be considered as "youth" in China? The question is the topic of hot discussion in the country as the government issued a new policy giving young people half a day off work on May 4th, the national Youth Day.

A commentary in China Youth Daily says although the policy is in place, few young people in China actually enjoyed the holiday.

The article pointed out that the conundrum of how to judge whether a person is a youth or not taints the festival.

According to the government's new policy, Chinese aged between 14 and 28 can take a half a day off. The United Nations defines youth as people under the age of 45. So, the article argues why things in China should be any different.

Even for the 300 million people who fall under the required age category, it is not easy to take the holiday. Many students say they have to take classes, and employees say they cannot leave their pending work to others. Also, no mechanism has been set up to ensure the holiday is observed by the public.

The paper says it is not necessary for all festivals to become holidays. Festivals can be celebrated without taking a day or two off work. Perhaps organizing public activities for young people is more meaningful way to mark Chinese Youth Day. The paper adds a reward or subsidy for youth in China would also go down well.

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