Primary school students hold red papers with the Chinese character "福" (pronounced fu, meaning "fortune" or "luck"). [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]

Primary schools in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, have assigned unconventional winter vacation homework in an effort to ease academic pressure on students, local media outlets reported.

For example, students at Yangzhou Yucai Primary School are required to follow the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games that will begin on Feb 4, learn about the sports and athletes in the event, and make notes by writing or drawing pictures.

Students are also encouraged to partake in badminton, basketball, football, volleyball, table tennis, roller skating or other sports every day during the vacation.

Yangzhou Yihua No 1 Primary School has asked students to learn about traditional Chinese culture through activities such as writing Spring Festival couplets, making paper cuts for window decorations, and wishing people a happy Chinese New Year.

"We hope this type of homework will allow students and their parents to have happier new year together," said Guo Yun, a teacher at the school.