Public holidays in China

There are currently seven official public holidays in China. Each year's holidays are announced weeks before the start of the year by the General Office of the State Council.

Weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a longer vacation period.

New Year’s Day: Jan 1, one day
Spring Festival: Eight days starting from the Lunar New Year’s Eve
Qingming Festival: Early April, three days
Labor Day: May 1, five days
Dragon Boat Festival: Fifth day of the fifth lunar month, five days
National Day: Oct 1, seven days
Mid-Autumn Festival: 15th day of the eighth lunar month, three days

New Year’s Day
In China, New Year's Day has been designated as a public holiday by the government. It is typically a one-day holiday, but it is often adjusted by shifting adjacent weekends, creating a three-day break. Compared to the Spring Festival, New Year's Day holds far less significance in China.

Spring Festival
The first day of the first lunar month is Spring Festival, the beginning of a lunar new year for Chinese people.
Spring Festival is China's biggest extravaganza and a day for family reunion. From the Spring Festival’s Eve, people have an eight-day holiday. Being around family members at the turn of the year is a vital ritual for the Chinese people.

Qingming Festival
Qingming is not only one of China's 24 solar terms, but also an occasion for Chinese people to honor lost family members during this three-day holiday.
The solar term Qingming is observed in early April when the temperature begins to rise and rainfall increases. It is also the right time for spring cultivation and sowing. At the same time, Chinese people sweep tombs of their ancestors around Qingming to pay respect to the deceased. Most families go to cemeteries with offerings, clean up weeds around the tombs and pray for family prosperity.

Labor Day
International Workers' Day, commonly known as Labor Day or May Day, celebrates workers from all walks of life. During this five-day holiday, many individuals prefer to visit picturesque areas, go shopping, attend exhibitions, or simply relax with family and friends.

Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. There are many legends about the 2,000-year-old festival, but the most famous one is commemorating Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet from the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Qu Yuan is said to have been loyal and patriotic his whole life. When he realized the decline of Chu State was beyond recovery, his remorse knowing he could no longer save it grew stronger and stronger. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, he threw himself into the river and died for his beloved homeland.

During this three-day holiday, Chinese people celebrate it by holding dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi.

National Day
China National Day, officially the National Day of the People's Republic of China, is annually celebrated on Oct 1 to commemorate the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Chinese people usually enjoy a 7-day public holiday from Oct 1 to 7, which is known as Golden Week. It is a peak time for Chinese people to travel at home and abroad.

Mid-Autumn Festival
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a celebration that lasts for three days and focuses on the moon. From ancient times, it has been customary for Chinese people to reunite with family members and enjoy a sweet mooncake while observing the beautiful moon.

Kind reminders:

Avoid Public holidays

Our next tips for traveling to China – spring and autumn are the best seasons to come, especially if you struggle with the cold or hot. Most places in China are warm in spring and autumn. But you can expect more rainfall in spring than in autumn.

You also need to keep in mind that China is the most populated country in the world, and Chinese people love to travel during public holidays. It means that the travel cost is getting higher and there may be a shortage of flight tickets, train tickets and hotel rooms.

Additional Public Holidays for Specific Social Groups