Holiday Observance Despite the Ban: Officials on Duty The China New Year (or the Spring Festival as it is now called)
celebrated ina suitable manner with much less pomp. than This was doubtless - acthe fact that the National Government had issued i abolishing the lunar Vendar and ordering the of se of the Gregorian one in its holiday feeling amongst the Chinese populace, Most of the shops were closed and business "houses anc banks suspended business but the department stores opened during part of the day. Without exc The Government tion, offices, such as the po ity Government, of Chinese "newspapers (the "latter having given het employees: ten days' holiday from January 1 to courage them to observe thi calendar), carried on as usu employed who, absenadthemaaves without doctor'. certifies ined, special supervisors having been appointed by the Mayor to see that oliials attended duty. Although the Various schools vegiatered with the Greater Shanghai Bureau of Edvenlon were told. not to. crane their Students a holiday, most of the studs nts remained away" and, according {oone of the Tat Chiat new In?which only one' student" atten" avers, there were several Instanc
fed school.
Amusement houses did a rearm rave. most of them being packe tovcapacly wath day and might. The asha coolles likewise were in heavy demand because of the heavy down. fall of snow and, incidentally, they took advantage, of the situation t0 demand double the naval fare, Men, women and children of agen Were drowsed. in thelt clothes for the occasion and bent on full measure of pleasure, ous temples in the Seti ments needless to say, were also Packsay thousands of" worshippers Visiting them during. the day offer sactitices and to burn Incense and paper mone those who went. fo. temples in, Chinese. territory we loomed to disappointment, the doo these places having been closed the authorities and armed police standing on duty outside to see that nobody entered. 5 The Chinese police authorities had in_-exceptionally "busy. time Attempting. to. prevent observances: Congratilatory scrolls which, were pasted over the doors or reridenees competed to open them. Such in-*¥|cidents were not. uncommon along North Szechuen Road Extension, farmed Chapel police coming on to the Municipal road to carry out their work. "As soon as the scrolls were torn down and the doors were opened. the police visied other places, which were closed but, when they had turned their backs, the shopkeepers immediately closed. their doors again and posted up new scrolls.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.