China Public Holidays and Opening Hours

Nothing prepares a newcomer for the first Golden Week: the campus empties, train tickets vanish weeks in advance, and half the city closes for eight days while the other half doubles its hours. China’s holiday system is generous, predictable and — because of one quirk called 调休 — slightly confusing. This guide gives you the calendar, explains the swap-day mechanism, and tells you what actually closes so you can plan everything from visa appointments to a hot meal.

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Part of our China Arrival Guides guide series.

The calendar at a glance

Holiday	When	Statutory	Typical break
New Year’s Day (元旦)	1 January	1 day	1–3 days with a weekend
Spring Festival (春节)	Late Jan / Feb, by lunar calendar	4 days	Up to 8 days — the year’s biggest
Qingming (清明)	4–6 April	1 day	3-day weekend
Labour Day (劳动节)	1 May	2 days	Around 5 days
Dragon Boat (端午)	June, by lunar calendar	1 day	3-day weekend
Mid-Autumn (中秋)	Sept / Oct, by lunar calendar	1 day	3 days, or merged with National Day
National Day (国庆)	1–3 October	3 days	7–8 days — “Golden Week”

The exact dates for each year are set by the State Council and published towards the end of the previous year. Since the 2025 revision the statutory total is 13 days, with Spring Festival now including Lunar New Year’s Eve. Treat the table above as the shape of the year, and the official notice as the facts.

How 调休 (swap days) actually works

This is the part that catches everyone. To create a longer break, the government reassigns adjacent weekend days: you might get Saturday and Sunday off attached to a holiday, but then work or attend classes on a different weekend to pay for it. A “5-day Labour Day holiday” is often one statutory day plus a weekend plus one borrowed weekend repaid the following week.

• Watch for makeup class announcements from your university — swapped teaching days are real and attendance counts.
• Your class timetable may look bizarre for two weeks around each holiday; trust the university’s notice over the calendar app.
• Swap patterns are announced together with the dates each year, so you can plan travel and a weekend-shifted study rhythm in advance.

What closes, what stays open

Status	What falls in it
Closed	Banks, government and visa windows, post offices, most government services, campus admin offices, many small family-run restaurants and shops
Limited hours	Clinics and pharmacies (usually on rotation), small supermarkets, banks with major branches on emergency service
Open — and busy	Malls, metro and trains, chain stores and restaurants, hotels, scenic spots (peak crowds), food delivery and e-commerce (with surcharges and delays)

The pattern to internalise: anything run by the state closes; anything that makes money from crowds stays open. Plan admin — bank matters, residence permit steps, SIM problems — outside holiday windows entirely.

Golden Week travel: the whole country moves at once

Spring Festival and National Day move hundreds of millions of people. This is not a normal busy season; it is the largest scheduled migration on earth, and it hits trains first.

• Train tickets are released in a fixed presale window (currently around two weeks ahead on 12306) and popular routes sell out within minutes for golden weeks — set an alarm.
• Flights and hotels surge in price around the peaks; booking the moment dates are announced saves real money.
• Scenic spots use reservation caps — a “sold out” ticket for the mountain you planned is normal; check reservations before you travel.
• If you can, travel shoulder days (the day before the crowd leaves, or mid-break) rather than the first and last days.

University life during the breaks

• The international student office and most admin close — do not schedule document submissions, visa or residence permit appointments, or bank paperwork inside a golden week.
• Dorms usually stay open, but check rules if you plan to host visitors or leave for the whole break; some universities require holiday registration of your travel plans.
• Campus canteens reduce to one or two openings or close entirely; chain restaurants nearby and delivery apps fill the gap at a price.
• This is the natural time for the big trips — our trains and flights guide covers booking, and the transportation guide covers getting around once you arrive.

Your holiday planning checklist

1. November: read the official holiday notice for the next year and mark the long breaks in your calendar.
2. Mark the swap weekends too — they are class days.
3. Book golden-week transport the hour presale opens; book accommodation at the same time.
4. Move all admin (bank, visa, permits, medical) out of holiday windows.
5. Stock for the first festival day or two: many small shops near campus close even in big cities.
6. Tell your family the dates you will be travelling before the tickets, not after — phone networks and delivery times wobble during peaks.

Sources

• The State Council of China (gov.cn) — the official annual holiday arrangement notice (accessed 2026-09)
• 12306 — official railway ticketing and presale windows
• Your university’s academic calendar — makeup class days and campus service closures

Disclaimer: Rules, prices and platform features in China change frequently and can vary by city, institution and individual circumstances. Always confirm with the relevant authority or provider before making arrangements.