Official Holidays in China
China’s State Council releases the public holiday schedule every December, combining statutory days off with weekend make-up shifts. Use the overview below to plan campaigns, avoid travel gridlock and brief teams on 2025’s busiest periods.
7
Seven nationwide holidays trigger office closures: New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Qingming, Labour Day, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and National Day.
2
Spring Festival and National Day often stretch to 7 or 8 days once make-up weekends are factored in.
15 days
China Railway opens peak-season bookings 15 days ahead (12306 app). Tickets sell out within hours.
3B+
2024 saw 3.28 billion domestic holiday journeys across all national breaks, per Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
2025 holiday outlook (awaiting official notice)
China publishes confirmed dates in December. Use these expected windows—calculated from lunar calendar and recent patterns—for preliminary scheduling. Always verify with the State Council circular before locking contracts.
| Holiday | Statutory days off | 2025 expected window* | Likely make-up workdays | What spikes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 day | 1 January (Wed) with adjacent weekend for 3-day break | None usually | City staycations, ski resorts in Harbin |
| Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) | 3 statutory, typically extended to 7 | 29 January – 4 February (Lunar New Year on 29 Jan) | Work on 26 January (Sun) and 8 February (Sat) likely | Nationwide migration, red-envelope marketing, price surges on flights and trains |
| Qingming Festival | 1 day | 4–6 April long weekend | None typically | Ancestor worship trips, short-distance self-drive travel |
| Labour Day | 1 day | 1–5 May (5-day break common since 2020) | Work on 26 April (Sat) and 11 May (Sun) expected | Theme parks, duty-free sales in Hainan, outbound leisure flights |
| Dragon Boat Festival | 1 day | 31 May – 2 June (Festival on 31 May) | None usually | River races, zongzi promotions, high-speed rail to Hangzhou and Shaoxing |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | 1 day | 5–8 October (coincides with National Day week in 2025) | Bundled into National Day make-up schedule | Mooncake gifting, family dinners, lantern events |
| National Day (Golden Week) | 3 statutory, extended to 7 | 1–8 October (merged with Mid-Autumn) | Work on 28 September (Sun) and 11 October (Sat) expected | Mass domestic tourism, attractions at capacity, airfare spike, cross-border shopping |
*Final dates subject to the official State Council announcement, typically released in mid-December. Adjust flights, hotel blocks and production schedules once confirmed.
How make-up workdays function
China swaps weekends with weekdays to create long holiday stretches. That means extra workdays before or after a break. Align your HR and production calendars so teams are not surprised.
The State Council lists make-up shifts alongside the holiday dates. Expect two swapped weekend days for Spring Festival and National Day, and one for Labour Day when a 5-day break is granted.
Government offices, schools and state-owned firms comply. Retail, hospitality and airlines stay open but pay overtime or grant compensatory leave.
Some provinces add regional holidays (e.g. Xinjiang’s Corban Festival). Confirm site-specific calendars, especially for field crews.
Holiday travel and project tips
Build these checkpoints into your 2025 planning cycle so you hit deadlines without fighting crowds.
Hotels in Beijing, Shanghai and Sanya fill fast. Secure blocks with flexible terms and reconfirm a week before arrival.
China Railway releases extra train seats days before holidays. Assign a team member to watch the app for cancelled tickets.
Film key landmarks at dawn or overnight during Golden Weeks to avoid dense foot traffic and drone bans.
Outbreak responses or major events (World University Games, Asian Games) can add traffic controls. Follow municipal WeChat feeds for alerts.
Treat China’s public holiday calendar as a strategic tool. Share the table above with sales teams, production managers and travellers so everyone knows when to accelerate or pause campaigns.