Today is Saturday, October 8. The long National Day holiday is over, and China is going back to work. Wait a minute, you say, but it’s Saturday! True, but that’s not particularly relevant. You see, the holiday is a 7 day holiday, not a 9 day holiday. Day One was last Saturday. Day Seven was yesterday. Therefore, everyone goes back to work today, and will now work non-stop until next Friday, when the normal cycle can be re-established. It’s always a bit confusing to figure it out, because in talking with people here they will say things like, "Saturday and Sunday are really Thursday and Friday." To which the foreigner replies, "so then you really didn’t get 7 days off, you just got 5 days off because you would have had last weekend anyway." That’s usually met by silence as both sides realize we’re talking past each other. It’s just the way it’s done here.
Xanadu stories and photos to follow later today.