China Public Holidays
From ChinaTravelGuide
There are 7 national public holidays, and 9 additional holidays for special occasions in China. The 7 national public holidays are New Year's Day (新年), Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) (春节), Qingming Festival (清明节), Labor Day (国际劳动节), Dragon Boat Festival (端午节), Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), and National Day (国庆节). The 9 additional holidays for special occasions are Women's Day (国际劳动妇女节), Arbor Day (中国植树节), Youth Day (中国青年节), International Nurse Day (国际护士节), Children's Day (国际儿童节), Founding Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党诞生日), Army Day (建军节), Teacher's Day (中国教师节), and Journalists' Day (中国记者节).
Peak travel time in China almost always happens on the 7 national public holidays. Among them, Spring Festival is probably the busiest, when people from different walks of life travel to home to spend time with their family members. Other busy travel days are National Day (the Chinese call it as the 'Seven-day Golden Week' as many companies bundle the 3 days with weekends and other off-days together to have 7-day vacation), May Labor day and the New Year's Day. Try to stay away from those days when schedule traveling in China. Restaurants, hotels, plane and train/bus/ship are always very crowded, and tickets for them are always in great demand. If you have to travel during holidays in China, follow these holiday travel tips.
[edit] Public Holidays in China
Below is a list of official public holidays in China for the year of 2008. Refer to the Chinese lunar calendar for details as many of them are celebrated according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
| Holiday name | Date | Number of days off | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day (新年) | January 1, 2008 | 1 day | January 1 of every year | |
| Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) (春节) | Februry 7, 2008 | 3 days (Februry 6, 2008, Februry 7, 2008, Februry 8, 2008) | New Year's Day of lunar calendar, normally in late January or early February | |
| Qingming Festival (清明节) | April 4, 2008 | 1 day | around April 5 of solar calendar | |
| Labor Day (国际劳动节) | May 1, 2008 | 1 day (May 1) | May 1 of every year | |
| Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) | June 8, 2008 | 1 day | The 5th day of the 5th lunar month | |
| Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) | September 14, 2008 | 1 day (September 14, 2008) | The 15th day of the 8th lunar month | |
| National Day (国庆节) | October 1, 2008 | 3 days (October 1, 2 and 3) | October 1 of every year |
[edit] Other holidays for special occasions in China
Below is a list of other holidays for special occasions in China.
| Holiday name | Date | Number of days off | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Day (国际劳动妇女节) | March 8 | Half day off for women | |
| Arbor Day (中国植树节) | March 12 | No days off | |
| Youth Day (中国青年节) | May 4 | Half day off for the youth over 14 years | |
| International Nurse Day (国际护士节) | May 12 | No days off | |
| Children's Day (国际儿童节) | June 1 | 1 day off for children under 13 years | |
| Founding Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党诞生日) | July 1 | No days off | |
| Army Day (建军节) | August 1 | Half day off for active duty military personnel | |
| Teacher's Day (中国教师节) | September 10 | No days off | |
| Journalists' Day (中国记者节) | November 8 | No days off |
