The General Office of the State Council issued the official public holiday schedule in China for 2024 on October 25, 2023.
According to the Western calendar, Chinese New Year in 2024 falls on February 10, 2024, marking the beginning of the Year of the Dragon β more specifically, the Year of the Wood Dragon. In Chinese culture, the Dragon symbolizes power, success, honor, and good fortune.
For this reason, many Chinese parents hope to have children in the Year of the Dragon. We hope that the Year of the Wood Dragon will be a creative and favorable year of progress for all of us.
By tradition, the holiday schedule includes two major holidays: the Spring Festival (better known as Chinese New Year) and National Day.
In 2024, the Spring Festival is observed from February 10 to February 17, while National Day is observed from October 1 to October 7.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
It is well known that Saturdays and Sundays are often designated as additional official workdays in China to make up for long holiday breaks.
For example, in 2024, Sunday, February 4 and Sunday, February 18, have been designated as official workdays to partially compensate for the seven days off during the Spring Festival. It is also recommended that February 9 be treated as a paid day off, or that employee breaks be arranged for New Year's Eve (February 9).
Private companies in China, however, have the right to set their own schedules β meaning they may grant additional days off β as long as they follow the official holiday calendar.
Since very few people in China work during the seven days after the New Year holidays, we will also be closed for Chinese New Year from February 3 to February 20, 2024.
Official Schedule of Public Holidays and Days Off in China for 2024
- New Year's Day: Monday, January 1, 2024 is a non-working day, together with the preceding weekend.
- Spring Festival: February 10 to February 17, for a total of 8 days off. Workdays will be February 4 (Sunday) and February 18 (Sunday).
- Qingming Festival: Non-working days are from April 4 to April 6, for a total of 3 days. Sunday, April 7 is a working day.
- Labor Day: From May 1 to May 5, for a total of 5 days off. Workdays are April 28 (Sunday) and May 11 (Saturday).
- Dragon Boat Festival: The holiday falls on June 10 (Monday), for a total of 3 non-working days including the preceding weekend.
- Mid-Autumn Festival: September 15 to September 17 will be a holiday period, for a total of 3 days. The working day is September 14 (Saturday).
- National Day: October 1 to October 7, for a total of 7 days. Workdays are September 29 (Sunday) and October 12 (Saturday).
β Back to: Business Essentials