The Chinese public holiday calendar and its effect on production
Two annual shutdowns bring Chinese industry to a halt, and neither falls on a fixed date in our calendar. Here are the dates, what Chinese law provides, and what actually happens on the shop floor.
Updated September 2026
Seven statutory holidays, two shutdowns that matter
Chinese law recognises seven national public holidays: New Year's Day, Spring Festival — Chinese New Year —, the Qingming Festival, Labour Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.
Only two weigh on a supply calendar: Spring Festival, in January or February, and National Day on 1 October, whose holiday traditionally runs to the 7th. The others cost one to three days, with no lasting effect.
The dates, to 2029
Spring Festival follows the lunar calendar: it moves each year between 21 January and 20 February.
First day of the lunar year
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 6 February | Saturday |
| 2028 | 26 January | Wednesday |
| 2029 | 13 February | Tuesday |
Why the official date is not enough to plan on
The exact length of the statutory holiday and the associated make-up days are not fixed in advance: they are the subject of a decree published each year, generally in November for the year following. A production schedule settled in summer on assumed dates is therefore working on a hypothesis, not a rule.
The shift cuts both ways: weekends are regularly moved to lengthen the break, which makes working days of Saturdays that were not, and holidays of days that were.
What the workforce changes, and the calendar does not say
Chinese industry relies heavily on a workforce from other provinces. Spring Festival is, for many, the only trip home of the year — and the occasion not to come back.
Part of the headcount therefore changes employer at that point. The workshop that reopens is not exactly the one that closed: on jobs that call for a practised hand, the first run produced after the restart deserves closer inspection than those that follow, even at a supplier you know well.
The October Golden Week carries no such effect — the workers return — but it saturates the ports on the approach and on the return, which pushes collection dates well beyond the seven days of holiday.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Spring Festival?
It is the official name of Chinese New Year, the principal festival of the Chinese calendar. It opens the lunar year and gives rise to the largest annual movement of people in the world, as much of the industrial workforce returns to its home province. It moves each year between 21 January and 20 February.
- How many public holidays does the Chinese calendar have?
Seven national public holidays: New Year's Day, Spring Festival, the Qingming Festival, Labour Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. Their effective length, however, cannot be read from that list: an annual decree lengthens the main breaks by moving weekends, making working days of some Saturdays and holidays of days that were not.
- What is Golden Week?
It is the holiday that follows National Day on 1 October and traditionally runs to the 7th. Unlike Spring Festival, the workforce returns in full. Its main effect is logistical: ports saturate before the break, under a surge of early shipments, then on the return, under deferred ones.
- When does Chinese New Year fall in 2027?
Saturday 6 February 2027. The following years: Wednesday 26 January 2028 and Tuesday 13 February 2029. Spring Festival follows the lunar calendar and moves each year between 21 January and 20 February. The exact length of the statutory holiday is set by a decree published around November for the year following.
- Do Chinese factories work on Saturdays?
It is common in manufacturing, and a lead time quoted in days often assumes a six-day week. The distinction matters when converting a production time into a delivery date: the same number of days quoted does not cover the same calendar span depending on the workshop's actual rhythm. Better to have a date confirmed than a number of days.
- How does Chinese New Year affect sea freight?
It shows before the shutdown, in a surge of early shipments that saturates capacity and pushes freight rates up, then after the restart, in a catch-up of deferred shipments. The trough is during the holiday itself. A booking made late on the approach to the shutdown is paid for in rate and in postponed sailings.
- Does Chinese New Year affect Hong Kong and Taiwan too?
Yes, the festival is observed there as well, and in several South-East Asian countries. The length of the break differs from one territory to another. For a flow transiting through Hong Kong you therefore have to allow for two calendars: that of the mainland factory and that of the logistics hub.
- How do I know whether a supplier has really restarted?
An announced restart is not an effective one: headcount returns gradually. Asking for a dated photograph of the lines in operation, or a status update on a specific order, tells you more than a confirmation in principle. The useful question is not « have you reopened? » but « where does my order stand today? »
- What other periods slow production?
National Day on 1 October, whose holiday traditionally runs to the 7th, is the second shutdown of any scale. The other statutory holidays — New Year's Day, Qingming, Labour Day, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn — cost one to three days with no lasting effect. To which may be added, locally and occasionally, administrative restrictions capable of affecting activity in an industrial zone.
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