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China national flag - official symbol of Asia

Current Date And Time In China

Saturday, 12 September 2026
15:57:56 CST
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Chinese yuan (CNY)
Timezone: UTC +08:00 (CST)
Population: 1,415,771,700

🎉 China - Public Holidays


Use this page to check China's national public holidays: a continuously updated calendar covering both past and upcoming dates. China observes 3 official public holidays mandated by national law (including New Year's Day, Labour Day, National Day (Guóqìng Jié)). Some holidays fall on a fixed calendar date every year — an Independence or Republic Day, for instance. Others, governed by the Easter calculation, the Islamic lunar calendar, or an "nth weekday of the month" rule, shift from year to year, so each year carries its own actual date rather than an assumed repeat. Jump straight to the live calendar below, or read on for how the dates are worked out.

Why This Matters: Public holidays in China directly affect cross-border trade timing and payment settlement windows. This calendar is a standard reference point for location intelligence teams mapping regional operating calendars working with partners, offices or operations in China.

Quick Links: China Overview | Map | Currency | Travel Info | Nearby Countries | Statutory Holidays | How Holidays Work | States & Regional

📅 Live Holiday Calendar — China

Live public holiday calendar for China, embedded directly from Google's official public calendar — always shows Google's current data.

◀ Showing upcoming holidays — use the back arrow in the calendar's toolbar to see earlier dates this year.

ℹ Calendar supplied and maintained by Google. See the full travel profile for emergency numbers, electrical standards and more.

🏛️ Official Statutory National Holidays — China

Statutory public holidays mandated by national government law in China. These fixed dates reflect official non-working days. For dynamic, movable religious observances (e.g., Eid, Easter), refer to the live calendar embed above.

Holiday NameDate / ObservanceCategory / TypeClosure ImpactOfficial Source
New Year's Day
Official national holiday decreed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
January 1National HolidayFull Statutory Closure (Banks & Govt Administration)www.gov.cn →
Labour Day
International Workers' Day public holiday across mainland China.
May 1National Holiday (Golden Week)Full Statutory Closure (State Council Mandated Holiday Period)www.gov.cn →
National Day (Guóqìng Jié)
Commemorates the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
October 1National Day (Golden Week)Full Statutory Closure (7-Day Golden Week Vacation Period)www.gov.cn →

🧳 Upcoming Long Weekends in China

Statutory holidays landing on a Monday, Friday, Tuesday or Thursday create a long-weekend opportunity — here's what's coming up.

HolidayDateOpportunity
National Day (Guóqìng Jié)Thu, Oct 1, 2026Take the Friday after off for a 4-day weekend
New Year's DayFri, Jan 1, 2027Automatic 3-day weekend

📖 How Public Holidays Work in China

Two calendar mechanics sit behind most public holiday lists: a fixed-date system for civic anniversaries, which repeat annually, and a second, older calendar system behind a country's religious or lunar-based observances, which don't. China's calendar can include holidays governed by an Easter-based calculation, the Hijri lunar calendar used for Islamic observances, or a lunisolar calendar — each running independently of the standard Gregorian civic calendar. China, like much of Asia, likely carries at least one holiday from each category on its calendar — one reason the list above shows a specific date per year instead of a single recurring one.

Under China's labor law, fixed-date national public holidays carry mandatory non-working status for public administration, financial institutions, and commercial enterprises — 3 such holidays are documented for China in the table above, all individually cross-checked against independent corroborating sources, including New Year's Day on January 1. Official gazette announcements are published by government authorities to confirm these mandated closures.

Worth separating, too: a true public holiday is a legally mandated non-working day — banks, schools and government offices close by law or long-standing custom. An observance is different — culturally or religiously notable, but without a mandated closure (Valentine's Day and Earth Day are common examples worldwide). This page focuses specifically on public holidays, the ones that actually affect scheduling.

China is also divided into states and provinces, and countries structured this way often layer a regional founding day, a local patron festival or a province-specific holiday on top of the national calendar — observed in one state but not nationwide. The calendar above covers China's national holidays; see the China states & provinces directory for population and government data on each one.

Frequently Asked Questions — China Public Holidays

What are public holidays in China?

Public holidays in China are nationwide days off recognised by the government, when most banks, schools and government offices close and many businesses adjust their hours. They mark historical, cultural, religious or civic occasions and are a standard reference point for location intelligence teams mapping regional operating calendars working with China.


How many public holidays does China observe each year?

3 fixed-date public holidays are documented for China in the table above, on top of movable observances shown in the live calendar. The exact total varies year to year — some holidays fall on a fixed date, while Easter-based, Islamic-calendar or other lunar observances shift annually, and some are added by regional decree. See the live calendar above for the current list of upcoming and recently observed dates.


What is the official government source for China's fixed-date public holidays?

Official public holidays in China are enacted by national acts of parliament and published via www.gov.cn. These non-working days carry legal status for banking, public administration, and employment compliance.


What does New Year's Day commemorate in China?

Official national holiday decreed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It falls on January 1 and carries official non-working status in China — see the statutory holidays table above for its closure impact and official source.


Where does the live holiday calendar for China come from, and is it accurate?

It's Google's own official "China" holiday calendar, embedded directly via Google's public calendar integration — Google serves the data straight to your browser in real time, and we don't store, edit or republish any of it ourselves. For the smaller set of fixed-date national holidays we've individually fact-checked, see the statutory holidays table above instead.


Do China's public holidays fall on the same date every year?

Some do and some don't. Fixed-date holidays repeat on the same calendar day annually, while others follow the Easter calculation, the Islamic lunar calendar, or an "nth weekday of the month" rule — so their date moves from year to year. See how public holidays work above for the full explanation of why, or check the calendar itself for each year's actual date.


What happens when a fixed public holiday falls on a weekend in China?

When a fixed public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, many governments designate the following Monday as an official substitute non-working day (often termed an 'observed holiday'). Check China's official gazette announcements or the live calendar embed for specific year-by-year substitute day designations.


How can I plan a long weekend around public holidays in China?

Check the day of the week shown next to each entry in the calendar above: holidays falling on a Monday or Friday create an automatic three-day weekend, while a Tuesday or Thursday holiday can often be extended to four days by taking the day in between off — a common practice known as a "bridge day" in many countries. See the China travel guide once you've picked a date worth planning a trip around.


Does China have regional or state-specific holidays too?

Many countries observe additional regional, state or provincial holidays alongside national ones. China is divided into states and provinces — see the China states & provinces directory for region-specific pages with more local detail.


Why are some major cultural holidays listed in the live calendar but not in the official holidays table?

The official holidays table above lists fixed-date national public holidays mandated by law. Dynamic, movable observances (such as Eid or Easter) shift calendar dates annually based on lunar or religious computations — those dates are updated continuously in the live Google Calendar embed below.

🗓️ Holiday Fast Facts
Public Holidays: 3 Days
Flagship National Day:
New Year's Day (January 1)
📊 Quick Facts
👥 Population Rank#2 of 249
📏 Area World Rank#4
🏙️ Population Density151.8 / km²
🌊 Land / Water Split97.2% / 2.8%
🕒 Business Hours & Time Zone
Time Zone: +08:00
Bank Holiday Closures: Full closure on official holidays
✈️ Traveler Planning Essentials
Emergency Number: 110
Driving Side: Right side