Public holidays in China, 2026

How China public holidays work in 2026

China observes seven statutory public holidays under the General Office of the State Council's annual circular, but the practical calendar is more complicated. The State Council mandates make-up working weekends to bridge holidays into seven-day Golden Weeks for Spring Festival and National Day. A typical Spring Festival therefore gives seven consecutive days off, paid for by working the immediately preceding or following Saturday and Sunday. The full statutory count is eleven days off but the calendar can show fifteen consecutive days of work without a break around major holidays. Dragon Boat, Qingming and Mid-Autumn Festival follow the lunar calendar and shift annually.

Working days in China

The Labour Law of the People's Republic of China article 36 caps weekly working hours at 44, with article 38 requiring at least one rest day per week. The standard urban office week is Monday to Friday with both weekend days off, but factories and construction commonly operate six days. The Civil Procedure Law article 75 rolls deadlines falling on a statutory holiday to the next working day, but make-up working Saturdays count as working days for procedural purposes. Settlement for renminbi runs on the People's Bank of China's CNAPS system, which closes on the eleven statutory days and reopens on the designated make-up working weekends.

For people planning cross-border meetings, the practical move is to overlay China's calendar with the calendars of the other countries on your team. A week that looks completely clear from your end might be a national holiday on theirs. The compare tool above pairs two country calendars and highlights the overlapping closures, so you can spot the weeks where almost no one is at their desk before you put a launch on the board.