Public holidays in China


There are currently seven official public holidays in mainland China. Each year's holidays are announced about three weeks before the start of the year by the General Office of the State Council. A notable feature of mainland Chinese holidays is that weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a longer holiday period.
DateLength English nameChinese name Pinyin2014201520162017201820192020
1 January1 dayNew YearYuándàn1 January1 January1 January1 January1 January1 January1 January
1st day of 1st Lunisolar month3 days Spring Festival Chūnjié31 January19 February8 February28 January16 February5 February25 January
5th solar term 1 dayTomb-Sweeping DayQīngmíng jié5 April5 April4 April4 April5 April5 April4 April
1 May1 dayLabour DayLáodòng jié1 May1 May1 May1 May1 May1 May1 May
5th day of 5th Lunisolar month1 dayDragon Boat FestivalDuānwǔ jié2 June20 June9 June30 May18 June7 June25 June
15th day of 8th Lunisolar month1 dayMid-Autumn FestivalZhōngqiū jié8 September27 September15 September4 October24 September13 September1 October
1 October3 days National DayGuóqìng jié1 October1 October1 October1 October1 October1 October1 October

, Beijing.

History

Festivals in China have been around since the Qin Dynasty around 221-206 BC. During the more prosperous Tang Dynasty from AD 618–907, festivals involved less sacrifice and mystery to more entertainment. Culminating to the modern era Between the 1920s until around the 1970s, the Chinese began observing two sets of holidays, which were the traditional and what became "official", celebrating the accomplishments of the communist regime. There was then a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day Golden Week and adding three traditional Chinese holidays. From at least 2000 until this reform, the Spring Festival public holiday began on New Year's Day itself. From 2008 to 2013 it was shifted back by one day to begin on Chinese New Year's Eve. In 2014, New Year's Eve became a working day again, which provoked hostile discussion by netizens and academics. However, since 2015, Chinese New Year's Eve is usually swapped with nearby weekends so that people need not work on Chinese New Year's Eve.

The original version (released on 23 December 1949)

Total: 7 days

The first revised version (revised on 18 September 1999)

Total: 10 days

The second revised version (revised on 14 December 2007)

Total: 11 days

The third revised version (revised on 11 December 2013)

Total: 11 days

Overview

Holidays in China are complicated and are one of the least predictable among developed nations.
In all these holidays, if the holiday lands on a weekend, the days will be reimbursed after the weekend.
The Chinese New Year and National Day holidays are three days long. The week-long holidays on May Day and National Day began in 2000, as a measure to increase and encourage holiday spending. The resulting seven-day or eight-day holidays are called "Golden Weeks", and have become peak seasons for travel and tourism. In 2008, the Labor Day holiday was shortened to three days to reduce travel rushes to just twice a year, and instead, three traditional Chinese holidays were added.
Generally, if there is a three-day or four-day holiday, the government will declare it to be a seven-day or eight-day holiday. However, citizens are required to work during a nearby weekend. Businesses and schools would then treat the affected Saturdays and Sundays as the weekdays that the weekend has been swapped with. Schedules are released late in the year prior and might change during the year.
The following is a graphical schematic of how the weekend shifting works.

Weekend shifting scheme (since 2014)

Spring Festival

Shift the Saturdays and Sundays nearby to make a 7-day holiday. People may need to work for 6 or 7 continuous days before or after the holiday.

National Day (not near Mid-Autumn Festival)

Shift the Saturdays and Sundays nearby to make a 7-day holiday. The holiday is from 1 to 7 October. People may need to work for 6 or 7 continuous days before or after the holiday.

New Year, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Labour Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival (not near National Day)

In addition to these holidays, applicable to the whole population, there are four official public holidays applicable to specific sections of the population:
DateEnglish nameChinese namePinyinApplicable to
8 MarchInternational Women's DayGuójì fùnǚ jiéWomen
4 MayYouth DayQīngnián jiéYouth from the age of 14 to 28
1 JuneChildren's DayLiùyī értóng jiéChildren below the age of 14
1 AugustArmy DayJiàn jūn jiéMilitary personnel in active service

The closeness of Labor Day and Youth Day resulted in an unexpectedly long break for schools in 2008 - the Youth Day half-holiday entitlement had been largely forgotten because it has been subsumed into the Golden Week.

Traditional holiday scheme

DateEnglish nameLocal namePinyinRemarks
1 JanuaryNew YearYuándàn
1st day of 1st Lunisolar monthSpring Festival ChūnjiéBased on Chinese calendar. Holidays last seamlessly, two full weeks, up to the Lantern Festival.
15th day of 1st Lunisolar monthLantern FestivalYuánxiāo jiéBased on Chinese calendar
2nd day of 2nd Lunisolar monthZhonghe Festival Zhōng hé jiéBased on Chinese calendar
8 MarchInternational Women's DayGuójì fùnǚ jié
12 MarchArbor DayZhíshù jiéAlso known as National Tree Planting Day
5th Solar Term Qingming Festival Qīngmíng jiéBased on the Qingming solar term.
1 MayLabour DayLáodòng jiéInternational Workers' Day
4 MayYouth DayQīngnián jiéCommemorating the 1919 May Fourth Movement
1 JuneChildren's DayLiùyī értóng jié
5th day of 5th Lunisolar monthDragon Boat Festival Duānwǔ jiéBased on Chinese calendar
1 JulyCPC Founding DayJiàndǎng jiéFormation of 1st National Congress in July 1921
11 JulyChina National Maritime DayZhōngguó hánghǎi rìThe anniversary of Zheng He's first voyage
1 AugustPeople's Liberation Army DayJiànjūn jiéAnniversary of the Nanchang Uprising on 1 August 1927
7th day of 7th Lunisolar monthDouble Seven FestivalQīxīThe Chinese Valentine's Day, based on Chinese calendar
15th day of 7th Lunisolar monthSpirit Festival Zhōng yuán jiéBased on Chinese calendar
15th day of 8th Lunisolar monthMid-Autumn Festival Zhōngqiū jiéBased on Chinese calendar
3 SeptemberVictory over Japan DayZhōngguó Rénmín Kàngrì Zhànzhēng Shènglì jìniàn rìHonoring the Allied victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War in the Pacific
30 SeptemberNational Memorial DayLièshì jìniàn rìHonoring all the fallen of the country right before National Day, new holiday established in 2014
1 OctoberNational DayGuóqìng jiéFounding of PRC on 1 October 1949
9th day of 9th Lunisolar monthChongyang FestivalChóngyáng jiéBased on Chinese calendar.
13 DecemberNanking Massacre Memorial DayNánjīng dà túshā sǐnàn zhě guójiā gōngjì rìNew holiday established in 2014 to honor the thousands of Chinese lives lost during the events of the 1938 Nanking Massacre.

Ethnic Minorities Holidays

There are public holidays celebrated by certain ethnic minorities in certain regions, which are decided by local governments. The following are holidays at the provincial level.
DateEnglish nameLocal nameChinese namePinyinEthnic GroupsRemarks
1st day of Tibetan yearLosar洛萨/藏历新年Luò sà / zànglì xīnniánTibetan7 days in Tibet
30.6 of Tibetan calendarSho Dun雪顿节Xuě dùn jiéTibetan1 day in Tibet
1.10 of Islamic calendarEid ul-Fitr开斋节/肉孜节Kāizhāi jié / ròu zī jiéHui, Uyghur and other Muslims2 days in Ningxia; 1 day in Xinjiang
10.12 of Islamic calendarEid al-Adha古尔邦节Gǔ'ěrbāng jiéHui, Uyghur and other Muslims2 days in Ningxia; 3 days in Xinjiang
3rd day of the 3rd Lunisolar monthSam Nyied SamSam Nyied Sam三月三Sān Yuè SānZhuang3 days in Guangxi

The following are traditional holidays at the prefectural level, and there are more at lower level divisions, i.e. county-level.
DateCelebrating LocationEnglish nameChinese namePinyinEthnic GroupsRemarks
6th day of the 6th Lunisolar monthQiannan and QianxinanLiuyueliu六月六Liù Yuè LiùBouyei1 day in Qiannan and Qianxinan
8th day of the 8th Lunisolar monthQiannan and QianxinanBayueba八月八Bā Yuè BāMiao1 day in Qiannan and Qianxinan
10th day of the 9th Lunisolar monthDehong阿露窝罗节Ā Lù Wō Luó jiéAchang2 days in Dehong
1st day of Tibetan yearDêqên, Garzê, Gannan and NgawaLosar藏历年Luò sà / zànglì xīnniánTibetan3 days in Dêqên, Garzê, Gannan and Ngawa
24th day of the 6th Lunisolar monthHonghe矻扎扎节Kū Zhā Zhā jiéHani2 days in Honghe
24th day of the 6th Lunisolar monthChuxiong, Liangshan and HongheFire Festival火把节Huǒ Bǎ jiéYi5 days in Chuxiong, Liangshan and 3 days in Honghe
20 SeptemberNujiang阔时节Kuò Shí jiéLisu3 days in Nujiang
15th day of the 1st Lunisolar monthDehongManau Festival目瑙纵歌节Mùnǎo Zónggē jiéJingpo2 days in Dehong
5th day of the 5th Lunisolar monthWenshan闹兜阳Nào DōuyángMiao3 days in Wenshan, often celebrated together with Dragon Boat Festival
13 AprilDehong and XishuangbannaWater-Sprinkling Festival or Songkran泼水节Pō Shuǐ jiéDai2 days in Dehong and Xishuangbanna
1st day of the 10th Lunisolar monthNgawaQiang New Year羌历年Qiānglì NiánQiang5 days in Ngawa
15th to 22nd day of the 3rd Lunisolar monthDali三月街Sān Yuè JiēBai7 days in Dali
3rd day of the 3rd Lunisolar monthWenshanSam Nyied Sam三月三Sān Yuè SānZhuang3 days in Wenshan
1st day of the Yi Calendar, often falls in the 10th Lunisolar monthChuxiong and LiangshanYi New Year彝族年Yízú NiánYi5 days in Chuxiong and Liangshan
1.10 of Islamic calendarLinxiaEid ul-Fitr开斋节Kāizhāi jiéHui3 days in Linxia
10.12 of Islamic calendarLinxiaEid al-Adha or Kurban Festival古尔邦节Gǔ'ěrbāng jiéHui3 days in Linxia

In addition, the following Autonomous Prefectures celebrates their founding date. Generally government takes 1 day off to all people working in such prefectures.
Celebrating LocationDate
Chuxiong15 April
Dali22 November
Dehong23 July
Dêqên13 September
Enshi19 August
Gannan1 October
Garzê24 November
Liangshan1 October
Linxia19 November
Ngawa2 January
Nujiang23 August
Qiandongnan23 July
Qiannan8 August
Qianxinan1 May
Wenshan1 April
Xiangxi20 September
Xishuangbanna23 January
Yanbian3 September

Novel holidays

Some Chinese young adults have begun to celebrate 11 November as Singles Day because of the many ones and many singles in the date.
Serfs Emancipation Day was established in Tibet in 2009.