China has seven public holidays each year, and every public holiday is made up of statutory holiday days plus weekend days or make-up rest days — 13 statutory days in total. For example, Labor Day (May Day) is one of China’s public holidays and runs from May 1 to May 5: May 1 and May 2 are statutory holidays, while the remaining three days are weekend days or make-up rest days. The 2027 highlight is the China Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): because New Year’s Eve falls on a Friday, the Spring Festival holiday runs 9 consecutive days — Friday, February 5 through Saturday, February 13, 2027. The General Office of the State Council issued the official 2027 China public holiday schedule on 5 November 2026, and this page reflects it in full.
China public holiday schedule 2027: forecast at a glance
China’s official public holidays are set by the Measures of China on Holidays for National Annual Festivals and Memorial Days (current version in force since January 1, 2025). Statutory days are fixed; the surrounding windows follow the State Council’s make-up-working-day rules. The table below is the official 2027 arrangement announced by the General Office of the State Council on 5 November 2026, including the make-up working days.
| Holiday | Statutory days | Official 2027 dates |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 (Jan 1) | Jan 1–3 (3 days) — Jan 1 falls on a Friday |
| Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) | 4 (Feb 5–8: New Year’s Eve + first 3 days) | Feb 5–13 (9 days) — New Year’s Eve is Friday, Feb 5. Make-up workdays: Jan 31 & Feb 14 (Sun) |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | 1 (Apr 5) | Apr 3–5 (confirmed) |
| Labor Day (May Day) | 2 (May 1–2) | May 1–5 (5 days) — make-up workday: May 8 (Sat) |
| Dragon Boat Festival | 1 (Jun 9) | Jun 9 only — falls on a Wednesday (same-day holiday under the rules) |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | 1 (Sep 15) | Sep 15 only — falls on a Wednesday (same-day holiday) |
| National Day (Golden Week) | 3 (Oct 1–3) | Oct 1–7 (7 days) — make-up workdays: Sep 26 (Sun) & Oct 9 (Sat) |
The 2027 Spring Festival forecast: how the 9-day window forms
The China Spring Festival — also called Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year — is China’s longest and most important public holiday. In 2027 the lunar calendar lines up unusually well: New Year’s Eve falls on Friday, February 5, and China New Year’s Day (the first day of the lunar year) falls on Saturday, February 6. Under the current rules the Spring Festival carries four statutory days and is arranged as an 8-day break starting from New Year’s Eve; because 2027’s New Year’s Eve is a Friday, the statutory days join up naturally with both weekends, producing the official nine-day window of February 5 through February 13. The notice also designates the make-up working days: Sunday, 31 January, before the break, and Sunday, 14 February, after it.
What the official rules say about China’s public holidays
Since the current Measures of China on Holidays for National Annual Festivals and Memorial Days took effect, the seven public holidays carry 13 statutory days in total: Spring Festival 4 days (New Year’s Eve plus the first three days), National Day 3 days, Labor Day 2 days, and New Year’s Day, Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn 1 day each. The Measures also introduced the holiday-bridging principle: Spring Festival is arranged as an 8-day break from New Year’s Eve, National Day as 7 days from October 1, Labor Day as 5 days, and the one-day holidays as 3-day windows — except when they fall on a Wednesday, in which case only the day itself is off. For how these rules played out in practice, see our China Holiday Calendar, which tracks the confirmed year’s schedule day by day.
What the 2027 China holidays mean for HR & payroll
For HR and payroll teams, the official schedule carries several concrete planning points:
- Pay when employees are off. On statutory holidays, employees do not work but the employer must still pay them their normal daily wages. On the weekend days or make-up rest days inside a public holiday window, the employer does not owe wages when the employee does not work.
- Pay when employees work during the holiday. Working on statutory holidays is treated differently from working on weekend or make-up rest days. Take Labor Day: if a company asks employees to work all five days (May 1–5), then on May 1 and May 2 — the statutory holidays — each employee receives their normal wages plus an additional 300%, i.e. four times pay in total; on May 3 to May 5 — weekend or make-up rest days — the employer should first arrange substitute rest days on other working days, and only if no substitute rest is arranged must the employer pay double (200%) wages for those days.
- Make-up working days. The official notice designates the make-up working days: 31 January and 14 February (Spring Festival), 8 May (Labor Day), and 26 September and 9 October (National Day). Attendance systems, shifts and payroll calendars should be configured in advance.
- Annual-leave bridging. Employees often combine the Spring Festival with paid annual leave for a two-week absence — plan approval workflows and staffing early.
- Peak-season staffing. The Spring Festival drives China’s largest travel and consumption wave; e-commerce, logistics, retail and manufacturing teams typically rotate shifts so operations continue.
Getting statutory days, make-up working days and overtime rates right is core to compliant payroll in China. Our HR & Payroll services help foreign companies run China payroll, attendance and leave policies that match the official China Holidays calendar every year.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2027 China public holiday schedule official yet?
Yes. On 5 November 2026 the General Office of the State Council published the official 2027 arrangement, and every date in the table above is the confirmed official date. This page is updated in place — same URL, every year — as each year’s notice is released.
Why does the Spring Festival date change every year?
The China Spring Festival follows the lunar calendar: it falls on the first day of the first lunar month, which lands between late January and mid-February on the Gregorian calendar. In 2027 that day — China New Year’s Day — is Saturday, February 6.
How many statutory public holidays does China have?
China has seven public holidays each year, and their statutory holiday days total 13: New Year’s Day (1), Spring Festival (4), Qingming (1), Labor Day (2), Dragon Boat (1), Mid-Autumn (1) and National Day (3). Each holiday’s longer observed window is formed by statutory days plus weekend days or make-up rest days.
Stay current: the 2027 China public holiday schedule above is the official arrangement issued on 5 November 2026, and this page is refreshed in place on the same URL every year as each new notice is released. For help preparing your 2027 holiday and payroll calendar, contact our team.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or payroll advice. The 2027 holiday dates shown reflect the official notice issued by the General Office of the State Council on 5 November 2026; the make-up working days are listed in the table above. Readers should verify dates with official sources and consult qualified professionals for their specific circumstances. Dan Young Business Consultancy makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this article.
