China public holidays for 2022

There are currently seven official public holidays in Mainland China. The public holidays are the same every year but since they often follow the lunar calendar, the exact dates are different and adjusted accordingly every year. It is important to note that Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan have different holiday schedules.

Weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a longer vacation period. The holiday periods can also vary. For example, factory workers usually have longer Spring Festival holidays compared to white-collar workers.

Public Holidays for 2022 are:

NameDateDuration
New Year’s Day1—3 January3 days
Spring Festival31 January — 6 February7 days
Qingming Festival3—5 April3 days
Labour Day30 April — 4 May5 days
Dragon Boat Festival3—5 June3 days
Mid-Autumn Festival10—12 September3 days
National Day/Golden week1—7 October7 days

Source: http://english.www.gov.cn/policies/latestreleases/202110/26/content_WS617764f4c6d0df57f98e3d00.html

Right now, the Spring Festival is soon beginning which is the most important Chinese holiday. Most of the factories have already shut down their production and many employees have left for their hometowns. This year again, unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation is still delicate, and the government is encouraging people to avoid travelling. Last year there was no big increase in COVID case after the holiday travels. So, let’s hope for the best again this year, although the Omicron variant might give an unpleasant surprise.

Public holidays in China 2020

China holidays 2020There are currently seven official public holidays or holiday periods in Mainland China in 2020. Sometimes additional holiday or holidays are added during the year, but this is not usual.

Weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a longer vacation period. So, it is possible that for example the Sunday before or after a holiday is a normal workday.

The dates of the Chinese holidays change every year as they follow the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

Please note that the holidays in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, are different from Mainland China.

Below are listed the public holidays in Mainland China for 2020:

Holiday name Holidays date Duration Compensating workdays
New Year’s Day Wednesday 1 January 2020 1 day
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) Friday 24 – Sunday 2 February 2020* 10 days Sunday 19 January
Qingming Festival Saturday 4 – Monday 6 April 2020 3 days
Labour Day Friday 1 – Tuesday 5 May 2020 5 days Sunday 26 April and Saturday 9 May
Dragon Boat Festival Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 June 2020 3 days Sunday 28 June 2020
Mid-Autumn Festival & National Day (Golden Week) Thursday 1 – Thursday 8 October 2020 8 days Sunday 27 September and Saturday 10 October 2020

* Update 27.1.2020: Three days added because of the Corona virus situation.
Update: 10.2.2020: Lots of “holiday extensions” and restrictions ordered by central, provincial, and local governments. Local situation must be checked case by case.

It is generally suggested to avoid tourist attractions during the public holidays as they are very crowded. During the public holidays hotel accommodation, travel, and entrance tickets can be more expensive.

Especially long holidays Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival & National Day affect companies’ operations, especially in labour intensive production industries. Often factory workers start their holidays earlier and finish later. This is because workers are often from other cities and provinces and during the long holidays the get the chance to visit home.

Source (in Chinese): http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2019-11/21/content_5454164.htm

PRD Group