Public holidays in the People's Republic of China
Encyclopedia
There are currently seven official public holiday
s in the mainland territory
of the People's Republic of China
. There was a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day
Golden Week and adding three traditional Chinese holidays (Qingming Festival
, Duanwu Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival
). A notable feature of mainland Chinese holidays is that weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a long vacation period.
Note on duration and 2011 dates: Most sources in China count the total number of days off (including statutory holidays, transferred days and weekends), which is important for Chinese people working a seven-day week. E.g. a holiday on a Friday is always announced as a three day holiday (Friday-Sunday). See the references for details of transferred holidays in 2011. The table above does not count weekends.
The Chinese New Year and National Day holidays are three days long. 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 was shortened to one day, and three traditional Chinese holidays were added.
Generally, if there is a three day holiday, the government will declare it to be a seven 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; the disruption to schedules is not regarded as unusual. In 2011, this applies on 30 January, 12 February, and 8-9 October.
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.
Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year....
s in the mainland territory
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. There was a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
Golden Week and adding three traditional Chinese holidays (Qingming Festival
Qingming Festival
The Qingming Festival , Pure Brightness Festival or Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice , usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar...
, Duanwu Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou...
). A notable feature of mainland Chinese holidays is that weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a long vacation period.
| Date | English name | Chinese name | Duration (2008-) | Duration (2000–2007) | Dates (2011) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year New Year The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner.... |
元旦 | 1 day | 1 day | Sat 1-Mon 3 January |
| 1st day of 1st lunar month | Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration... |
春节 | 3 days | 3 days | Wed 2-Tue 8 February |
| 5th solar term Solar term A solar term is any of 24 points in traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are used by lunisolar calendars to stay synchronized with the seasons. Solar terms... (April 4 or April 5) |
Qingming Festival Qingming Festival The Qingming Festival , Pure Brightness Festival or Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice , usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar... |
清明节 | 1 day | N/A | Mon 4-Tue 5 April |
| May 1 | Labor Day International Workers' Day International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries... |
劳动节 | 1 day | 3 days | Mon 2 May |
| 5th day of 5th lunar month | Dragon Boat Festival | 端午节 | 1 day | N/A | Mon 6 June |
| 15th day of 8th lunar month | Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou... |
中秋节 | 1 day | N/A | Monday 12 Sept |
| October 1 | National Day National Day of the People's Republic of China The National Day of the People's Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1. It is a public holiday in the People's Republic of China to celebrate their national day.The PRC was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tiananmen Square... |
国庆节 | 3 days | 3 days | Sat 1-Fri 7 October |
Note on duration and 2011 dates: Most sources in China count the total number of days off (including statutory holidays, transferred days and weekends), which is important for Chinese people working a seven-day week. E.g. a holiday on a Friday is always announced as a three day holiday (Friday-Sunday). See the references for details of transferred holidays in 2011. The table above does not count weekends.
Transferred holidays
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 (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
Golden Week (China)
Golden Week in the mainland of the People's Republic of China is the name given to two annual 7-day national holidays, implemented in 2000:* The "Spring Festival Golden Week" begins in January or February....
" (黄金周), and have become peak seasons for travel and tourism. In 2008, the Labor Day holiday was shortened to one day, and three traditional Chinese holidays were added.
Generally, if there is a three day holiday, the government will declare it to be a seven 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; the disruption to schedules is not regarded as unusual. In 2011, this applies on 30 January, 12 February, and 8-9 October.
2010 example
The following is a graphical schematic of how the weekend shifting works.| Example | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Additional holidays for specific social groups
In addition to these holidays, applicable to the whole population, 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 International Women's Day International Women's Day , originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and... |
国际妇女节 | half-day | Women |
| May 4 | Youth Day | 青年节 | half-day | Youth from the age of 14 to 28 |
| June 1 | Children's Day Children's Day "Children Day", as an event, is celebrated on various days in many places around the world, in particular to honor children. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation... |
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 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
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year New Year The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner.... |
元旦 | |
| 1st day of 1st lunar month | Spring Festival (Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration... ) |
春节 | Based on Chinese calendar Chinese calendar The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well... |
| 15th day of 1st lunar month | Lantern Festival Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival ; is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day... |
元宵节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 2nd day of 2nd lunar month | Zhonghe Festival Zhonghe Festival Longtaitou Festival , also known as the Eryueer Festival（二月二）, is a traditional Chinese festival held on the second day of the second month of the Chinese calendar. The festival is a reflection of the ancient agrarian Chinese culture. In the tradition of Chinese culture, the dragon is believed to... (Dragon Raising its Head) |
中和节 | Based on Chinese calendar Chinese calendar The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well... |
| March 8 | International Women's Day International Women's Day International Women's Day , originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and... |
国际妇女节 | |
| March 12 | Arbor Day Arbor Day Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.Many... |
植树节 | Also known as National Tree Planting Day (全民义务植树日) |
| 5th Solar Term (usually April 4–6) | Qingming Festival Qingming Festival The Qingming Festival , Pure Brightness Festival or Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice , usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar... (Chinese Memorial Day) |
清明节 | Based on the Jieqi Solar term A solar term is any of 24 points in traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are used by lunisolar calendars to stay synchronized with the seasons. Solar terms... Qingming Qingming Traditional East Asian lunisolar calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Qīngmíng or Chīngmíng or Seimei is the 5th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 15° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 30°... . |
| May 1 | Labour Day Labour Day Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for... |
劳动节 | International Workers' Day International Workers' Day International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries... |
| May 4 | Youth Day | 青年节 | Commemorating the May Fourth Movement May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919, protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially the Shandong Problem... |
| June 1 | Children's Day Children's Day "Children Day", as an event, is celebrated on various days in many places around the world, in particular to honor children. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation... |
六一儿童节 | |
| 5th day of 5th lunar month | Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Festival Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival and the Double Fifth, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies... (Duanwujie) |
端午节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| July 1 | CPC Communist Party of China The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China... Founding Day |
建党节 | Formation of 1st National Congress on July, 1921 |
| July 11 | China National Maritime Day China National Maritime Day Maritime Day in China is celebrated July 11, 2005, commemorating marked Zheng He's first voyage. The date marks the 600th anniversary of the ocean voyages of Zheng He, the Ming Dynasty navigator, who went on seven voyages to show China's might to the rest of the world, under the command of... |
中国航海日 | The anniversary of Zheng He Zheng He Zheng He , also known as Ma Sanbao and Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin was a Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng He or Voyages of Cheng Ho from... 's first voyage |
| August 1 | Army Day | 建军节 | Nanchang Uprising Nanchang Uprising The Nanchang Uprising was the first major Kuomintang-Communist engagement of the Chinese Civil War, in order to counter the anti-communist purges by the Nationalist Party of China.... (南昌起义) on August 1, 1927 |
| 7th day of 7th lunar month | Double Seven Festival Qi Xi Qixi Festival , also known as Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. It inspired Tanabata in Japan, Chilseok in Korea, and Thất Tịch in Vietnam... |
七夕 | The Chinese Valentine's Day, based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 7th lunar month | Spirit Festival (Ghost Festival Ghost Festival The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival and holiday celebrated by Chinese in many countries... ) |
中元节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| 15th day of 8th lunar month | Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou... (Moon Festival) |
中秋节 | Based on Chinese calendar |
| October 1 | National Day National Day of the People's Republic of China The National Day of the People's Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1. It is a public holiday in the People's Republic of China to celebrate their national day.The PRC was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tiananmen Square... |
国庆节 | Founding of PRC on October 1, 1949 |
| 9th day of 9th lunar month | Chongyang Festival Double Ninth Festival The Double Ninth Festival , observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period .... |
重阳节 | Based on Chinese calendar. |
Ethnic Minorities Holidays
There are public holidays celebrate by certain ethnic minorities in certain regions, they are decided by local governments. The following are holidays at province-level divisions, there are more at lower level divisions.| Date | English name | Local name | Chinese name | Ethnic Groups | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st day of Tibetan year | Losar Losar Losar is the Tibetan word for "new year." lo holds the semantic field "year, age"; sar holds the semantic field "new, fresh". Losar is the most important holiday in Tibet.... |
ལོ་གསར | 洛萨/藏历新年 | Tibetan | 7 days in Tibet Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965.... |
| 30.6 of Tibetan calendar Tibetan calendar The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years, so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year.The Tibetan New Year... |
Sho Dun Sho Dun Festival The Sho Dun Festival , commonly known as the Yoghurt Festival or Banquet is an annual festival held at Norbulingka or "Jewel Park" palace in Lhasa, Tibet.... |
༄༅། ཞོ་སྟོན། | 雪顿节 | Tibetan | 1 day in Tibet |
| 1.10 of Islamic calendar Islamic calendar The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic... |
Eid ul-Fitr Eid ul-Fitr Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"... |
开斋节/肉孜节 | Hui Hui people The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's... , Uyghur Uyghur people The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China... and other Muslims |
2 days for all in Ningxia Ningxia Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary... ; 1 day for Muslims (only) in Xinjiang Xinjiang Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2... |
|
| 10.12 of Islamic calendar Islamic calendar The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic... |
Eid al-Adha | 古尔邦节 | Hui Hui people The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's... , Uyghur Uyghur people The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China... and other Muslims |
2 days for all in Ningxia; 3 days for Muslims, 1 day for others in Xinjiang |
Novel holidays
Some Chinese young adults have begun to celebrate 11 November as Singles' Day because of the many ones (1s) in the date.See also
- Traditional Chinese holidaysTraditional Chinese holidaysThe traditional Chinese holidays are an essential part of Chinese culture. Many holidays are associated with Chinese mythology and folklore tales, but more realistically, they probably originated from ancient farmer rituals for celebrating harvests or prayer offerings...
- Public holidays in Hong KongPublic holidays in Hong KongPublic holidays in Hong Kong are holidays designated by the Government of Hong Kong. They allow workers rest from work, usually in conjunction with special occasions.-Public holidays:...
- Public holidays in the Republic of ChinaPublic holidays in the Republic of ChinaThe following are considered holidays in the Republic of China . Some are official holidays, some are not:Gregorian calendarDateEnglish NameLocal NameRemarksJanuary 1Founding DayFounding of Republic of China on January 1, 1912...