China Holiday Calendar

2026

Loading holidays…

China Public Holidays 2026: How the Chinese Holiday Calendar Works

China’s public holidays combine statutory holidays with adjusted rest days, which is why the Chinese holiday calendar changes every year. The State Council publishes the arrangement each year, and this page turns it into a live calendar for China and the rest of the world.

Statutory Holidays and Adjusted Rest Days

China has seven statutory public holidays a year: New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Qingming Festival, Labour Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. Nearby weekends are moved to extend the holiday into a longer block, and the weekends used are worked instead — the so-called make-up (adjusted) working days.

Golden Week and Chinese New Year

The two longest breaks are Chinese New Year and National Day, each normally extended into a seven-day Golden Week. Offices, factories, banks and government departments in China close, and travel demand peaks, so foreign companies should plan shipments, hiring, payroll and government filings around them.

Holidays and Your Business in China

Public holidays apply to all employers in mainland China, including wholly foreign-owned enterprises and representative offices. Deadlines for tax filings, customs clearance and work permit renewals are not extended automatically, so build the Chinese holiday calendar into your compliance timetable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are China’s public holidays in 2026?

China has seven statutory public holidays: New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Qingming Festival, Labour Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. The calendar on this page shows the official 2026 dates together with the adjusted rest days announced by the State Council.

What is Golden Week in China?

Golden Week refers to the two long national holiday periods in China: Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) and National Day on 1 October. Each is normally extended into a seven-day block, and they are the busiest travel periods of the year, so flights, trains, hotels and factory capacity are heavily booked.

What are make-up working days in China?

To create longer holiday blocks, the government moves some weekends into the holiday period and the affected Saturdays or Sundays become normal working days. These make-up (adjusted) working days are shown on the calendar so you can plan meetings, shipments and payments around them.

Do public holidays apply to foreign-invested companies in China?

Yes. Statutory holidays apply to all employers in mainland China, including wholly foreign-owned enterprises, joint ventures and representative offices. Employees normally receive the day off with full pay, and work performed on a statutory holiday is compensated according to Chinese labour law.

Are Chinese New Year dates the same every year?

No. Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar and falls between late January and mid-February, so the public holiday arrangement changes every year. The official 2026 dates, including the make-up working days, are shown on the calendar above.

How many days of paid annual leave do employees get in China?

Separately from public holidays, employees who have completed one year of continuous service are entitled to statutory paid annual leave: 5 days after one year, 10 days after ten years and 15 days after twenty years of service, with additional company leave granted at the employer’s discretion.