Why Chinese Colleges are Providing Students with a Weeklong ‘Love Break’

Nine vocational colleges in China are encouraging their students to take a weeklong holiday in April to find love and help reverse the country’s declining birth rate. The schools, run by the Fan Mei Education Group, have given students a break from April 1 to 7 and encouraged them to “learn to love nature, love life, and enjoy love through enjoying the spring break.” The homework for students includes writing diaries, keeping track of personal development, and making travel videos. This move comes amid a push in China to bolster rapidly declining birth and marriage rates. The country is facing a looming demographic crisis as its workforce ages, which analysts warn could stymie economic growth and pile pressure on strained public coffers.