Every year in late April, students at Renmin University of China become the subjects of admiration and jealousy of their peers on other campuses in Beijing. Why? Because they get a week off in the middle of term, the so-called spring break.

　　每年四月末，中国人民大学的学生总能成为京城其他高校学子们羡慕和嫉妒的对象。原因何在？因为他们拥有一周的期中“春假”。

　　“It’s been a unique tradition of our school for a decade,” said Wang Yueran, 20, a journalism major at Renmin University, who organized a weeklong trip to Sichuan with 12 classmates last year.

　　“我们学校的这项独特传统已有十年的历史了。”人大新闻系学生、20岁的王悦然（音译）说。去年春假期间，她和12位同学一起组织了一次为期一周的四川之行。

　　But having fun is just one dimension of the spring break. Field trips, voluntary work, and social projects are all on students’ to-do lists. Experts say the spring break is not just for students to enjoy a few days off, but for them to gain new experiences beyond the campus walls.

　　而吃喝玩乐仅仅是春假的一个方面。学生的任务清单还包括校外实习、志愿工作、社会实践等等。专家称，春假不仅是为了让学生享受数日清闲，更是要让他们走出象牙塔外，体验新事物。

　　春假

　　Push them out

　　将学生推向社会

　　The traditional Chinese belief of the exploration of knowledge and truth emphasizes “reading 10,000 books and traveling 10,000 miles”, which indicates the importance of experience as much as theory. But while Chinese universities have the tradition of spring outings, what’s the benefit of making spring break an institution?

　　对于探索知识和真理，中国传统观念强调：“读万卷书，行万里路。”这说明经验与理论同等重要。尽管中国大学素有春游传统，但春假制度又能带来哪些益处呢？

　　Qin Jianguo, of the student affairs office at Shenzhen University, thinks the idea of the spring break in some universities in China comes from the intention of pushing students out of the ivory tower to experience more diversity in their lives.

　　来自深圳大学学生事务服务中心的秦建国（音译）认为，一些国内高校之所以“试水”春假制度，目的是让学生走出象牙塔，去经历多彩生活。

　　“Take traveling for example. A week traveling is a very different experience to a one- or two-day outing,” said Qin. “Students are expected to acquire the spirit of teamwork and compromise, and learn survival and communication skills when put out there in an unfamiliar context.”

　　“以旅游为例。一周的旅行与一两天的短途游玩是完全不同的两种体验，”秦建国说。“学生需要具备团队协作精神，学会在陌生环境中的生存和交流技能。”