On October 25, 2023, the State Council of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Public Holidays announced the official schedule of public holidays in China for 2024.
According to the Western calendar for the year 2024, the Chinese New Year falls on February 10, 2024, when the Year of the Dragon — or rather the Wood Dragon — begins.
The Chinese zodiac sign of the Dragon represents power, success, honor and happiness among the Chinese.
This is why many Chinese parents want to have children in the Year of the Dragon.
We hope that the Year of the Wood Dragon will be a creative and auspicious year of progress for all of us.
By tradition, the holiday schedule includes two major holidays: the Spring Festival (commonly known as Chinese New Year) and National Day.
In 2024, the Spring Festival is celebrated between February 10 and 17, and National Day is celebrates from October 1 to October 7.
Year of the Dragon
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
It is known that Saturdays and Sundays are often marked as additional official working days in China to compensate for long holiday non-working days.
For example, in 2024, Sunday, February 4th and Sunday, February 18th are designated as official working days to partially compensate for the seven days off for the Spring Festival. It is also recommended to everyone that February 9th be a paid non-working day or that employees organize breaks on New Year's Eve (February 9th).
Private companies in China, however, have the right to set their own schedules – that is, to allow extra days off – but still adhere to the official holiday calendar. Since hardly anyone in China works for 7 days after the New Year holidays, we will not be working during the period of Chinese New Year from 03.02. until February 20, 2023
Official schedule of public holidays and non-working days in China for 2024
- New Year's Day: Monday 1/1/2024 is a non-working day together with the previous weekend
- Spring Festival: From 10 to 17 February, a total of 8 free days. Working hours will be 04.02. (Sunday) and 18.02. (Sunday).
- Grave Cleaning Day(Qingming Festival): Non-working days are from 04.04. until 06.04. a total of 3 days. Sunday, April 7 is working.
- Labor Day: From 01.05 to 05.05. a total of 5 days off. Working days are 28.04. (Sunday) and 11.05. (Saturday).
- Dragon Boat Festival: Holiday falls on 10.06. (Monday), a total of 3 non-working days together with the previous weekend.
- Mid-Autumn Festival: From September 15 to 17, there will be a holiday, a total of 3 days. The working day is September 14 (Saturday).
- National Day: From October 1 to October 7, a total of 7 days. Working days are September 29 (Sunday) and October 12 (Saturday).