There are seven official Public holidays in the People's Republic of China starting from 2008:
| Date | English name | Chinese name | Duration (2008-) | Duration (2000-2007) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year | 元旦 | 1 day | 1 day |
| 1st day of 1st lunar month | Chinese New Year | 春节 | 3 days | 3 days |
| 5th Solar Term (early April) | Qing Ming Jie | 清明节 | 1 day | N/A |
| May 1 | Labor Day | 劳动节 | 1 day | 3 days |
| 5th day of 5th lunar month | Dragon Boat Festival | 端午节 | 1 day | N/A |
| 15th day of 8th lunar month | Mid-Autumn Festival | 中秋节 | 1 day | N/A |
| October 1 | National Day | 国庆节 | 3 days | 3 days |
Note: The three-day Chinese New Year public holiday began on Chinese New Year's Day itself from 2000 to 2007. It will be shifted back by one day, and will begin on Chinese New Year's Eve, starting from 2008. There are four official public holidays applicable to specific sections of the population:
| Date | English name | Chinese name | Duration | Applicable to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 8 | International Women's Day | 国际妇女节 | half-day | Women |
| May 4 | Youth Day | 青年节 | half-day | Youth above the age of 14 |
| June 1 | Children's Day | 六一儿童节 | 1 day | Children below the age of 14 |
| August 1 | Army Day | 建军节 | half-day | Military personnel in active service |
The Chinese New Year and National Day holidays are three days long. In addition, surrounding weekends are moved in order to create a longer holiday period for the public holidays. The week-long holidays on May (Labor) Day and National Day began in 2000, as a measure to increase and encourage holiday spending. The resulting seven-day holidays are called "Golden Weeks" (黄金周), and have become peak seasons for travel and tourism. In 2008, the Labor Day holiday will be shortened to 1 day, and three traditional Chinese holidays will be added.
Contents |
Traditional holiday scheme
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year | 元旦 | |
| March 8 | International Women's Day | 国际妇女节 | |
| March 12 | Arbor Day | 植樹節 | Also known as National Tree Planting Day (全民义务植树日) |
| May 1 | Labor Day | 劳动节 | |
| May 4 | Youth Day | 青年节 | Commemorating the May Fourth Movement |
| June 1 | Children's Day | 六一儿童节 | |
| July 1 | CPC Founding Day | 建党节 | Formation of 1st National Congress on July 1, 1921 |
| July 11 | Maritime Day | 中国航海日 | The anniversary of Zheng He's first voyage |
| August 1 | Army Day | 建军节 | Nanchang Uprising (南昌起义) on August 1, 1927 |
| October 1 | National Day | 国庆节 | Founding of PRC on October 1, 1949 |
| 1st day of 1st lunar month | Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) | 春节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 2nd day of 2nd lunar month | Zhonghe Festival (Dragon Raising its Head) | 中和节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 1st lunar month | Lantern Festival | 元宵节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 5th Solar Term. Early April | Qing Ming Jie (Chinese Memorial Day) | 清明节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 5th day of 5th lunar month | Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwujie) | 端午节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 7th day of 7th lunar month | Double Seven Festival | 七夕 | The Chinese Valentine's Day, based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 7th lunar month | Spirit Festival (Ghost Festival) | 中元节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 8th lunar month | Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) | 中秋节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 9th day of 9th lunar month | Double Ninth Festival | 重阳节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
2006 example
| Dec | Jan | |||||||||
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| W | T | F | S | S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| Weekdays | Weekend | Weekdays | Weekend | |||||||
| becomes | ||||||||||
| Weekdays | Holiday | Moved Weekend | Weekdays | Weekend | ||||||
| Jan | Feb | |||||||||
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| F | S | S | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | M |
| Weekdays | Weekend | Weekdays | Weekend | Weekdays | ||||||
| becomes | ||||||||||
| Weekdays | Holiday | Moved Weekend | Moved Weekend | Weekdays | ||||||
| Apr | May | |||||||||
| 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| S | S | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | M | T |
| Weekend | Weekdays | Weekend | Weekdays | |||||||
| becomes | ||||||||||
| Weekdays | Holiday | Moved Weekend | Weekend | "Weekdays" | ||||||
| Sept | Oct | |||||||||
| 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| F | S | S | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | M |
| Weekdays | Weekend | Weekdays | Weekend | Weekdays | ||||||
| becomes | ||||||||||
| Weekdays | Holiday | Moved Weekend | Moved Weekend | Weekdays | ||||||
