General Information » Facts & Figures » Public Holidays

China has four main public holidays, three of which are known as ‘golden weeks’. Although golden weeks are officially three days long, virtually all offices close for the entire week, and New Year’s Day follows the same pattern. The first golden week marks the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and starts on the first lunar day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar, usually falling somewhere in late January or February. The second golden week starts on Labour Day and the third begins on China’s National Day. Foreign consulates also close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and at Easter, and some western companies prefer to stay open during some golden week holidays. Secondary schools get 10 or 11 weeks of holiday and primary schools 13 weeks. Both are spread over summer, Chinese New Year, March and April. Other traditional Chinese holidays include the Qingming Festival, when family tombs are traditionally visited and swept, the Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie), and the Mid-Autumn festival ().