Labour Day in China, or International Workers’ Day, is a public holiday that celebrates workers’ contributions to the country. Chinese Labour Day began in 1919, but wasn’t declared a national holiday until 1949. Today, Labour Day is a holiday meant for enjoying time off with friends and family. Labour Day is celebrated in over 80 countries and is also known as May Day.

In this lesson, students will learn about the Chinese Labour Day, when the festival was adopted in China, and how it is celebrated. They also compare this to the way Labour Day is celebrated in their own countries. There is also a hands-on activity that helps the students understand what it means to be part of the labour force and why having a Labour Day holiday is important.

1. Review: Fun Facts About Labor Day. Discuss with the class the significance of Labour Day in China. Discuss how Labour Day is celebrated in Australia / New Zealand / UK / USA and how they might look similar or different than how it is celebrated in China
2. Review jobs in China: Highest Paying Careers in China and discuss which jobs might look like in the future as well as what skills might be needed for these future occupations

Language Task: Review How to Say What Is Your Job in Chinese and ask them to recall some of the new vocabulary they learned as well as any familiar phrases they heard.

1. Ask students to get into groups of 2 or 3. Have them discuss the jobs they would like to do or their family members' occupations
2. Using the vocabulary they learned in the last video, have students create their own skits where they ask their partners about their chosen jobs or those of their family members