We are only days away from the opening ceremonies of the Universiade, and already some media and other hangers-on have begun arriving in the city. Security is tight in Shenzhen ahead of the games, and troublemakers have already been sent elsewhere.

For those working in the city, you’re going to get a few extra days off this month. The Shenzhen government has unveiled the holidays, of which there will be a total of 7 days off. It’s a bit confusing, so we’ll try and break it down.

The opening ceremonies are on Friday August 12 and the closing ceremonies are on Tuesday August 23. Both days are absolute holidays, meaning no work needed and no make-up days required.

But…

The government is also freeing the proletariat from work on Thursday August 11, Saturday August 13 and Sunday August 14. Combined with the 12th off for the opening ceremonies, that’s four straight days of no work. Monday August 22 and Wednesday August 24 are also days off, providing 3 straight holiday days at the end of the Universiade. The catch here is that these additional days off (*not* the days off for the opening and closing ceremonies) will need to be made up with additional days of work.

Employees need to work on Saturday August 6 and Saturday August 20, as well as Sunday August 21. Make sense?

If it’s still confusing, you can also find more information here.

One large bus stop

The bus stop at Futian Touzi and the Guangdian buildings have the longest waiting area in Shenzhen, according to an online report. The waiting area is 120 meters long.

A reporter with the paper interviewed somebody from the municipal government after spotting the extra-long waiting area. The government said it was built to resolve the problem caused by the massive volume of passengers and traffic at these two bus stops. Perhaps longer buses should be next on the agenda.