When doing business with companies from China or traveling to China for either work or pleasure, you should always plan ahead of time. It is extremely important to consider the public holidays in China when planning a business trip to China. You also need to remember that during non-working days it may not be possible to communicate with your Chinese partner. Moreover, when the Chinese celebrate their holidays and festivals, they often travel to visit their family or see famous landmarks. Many train stations, airports, and tourist attractions are overcrowded. The Chinese use a lunisolar calendar, which is formed by the movement of the moon. Because of this, Chinese holidays fall on different dates every year. Since businesspeople who cooperate with China need to take Chinese non-working days into account, below you will find a China Holidays 2019 list of the most important holidays in China for the year.
China holidays 2019
Chinese New Year – February 5, 2019
Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the People’s Republic of China. It is also known as the Spring Festival (春节 Chunjie) and is one of the most celebrated festivals. In 2019, the Chinese New Year falls on February 5. Non-working days fall on February 4-10. Traditional Chinese New Year celebrations can last anywhere from two weeks to one month. The Lantern Festival marks the end of official celebrations. Which falls in 2019 on February 19. During this time, banks and offices are closed, as well as many companies, factories, and restaurants. Spring Festival is a chance for Chinese people to go back to their hometowns and meet with family and friends. Many of them travel a very long distance. This is why the Chinese New Year is called the largest annual mass human migration.
While traveling during this period of time, you can encounter many inconveniences. It is important to plan a trip ahead of time. Airports and train stations are overcrowded. Not only do the prices of train tickets and hotel rooms rise, but also tickets are sold out at least a month in advance. Tourist attractions are packed with people. Although attending the Chinese New Year celebrations could be an amazing experience, we do not recommend traveling to China during this period. Planning a business trip or trying to communicate with a Chinese partner during Spring Festival is not a good idea. Chinese people will generally be too busy celebrating with their family and friends to take part in business dealings.
Qingming Festival – April 5, 2019
Chinese Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming Jie 清明节) falls on April 5. It is important to remember that non-working days include a whole weekend, April 5-7, 2019. During that time, banks and offices are closed. The long non-working weekend allows Chinese people to visit the tombs of their ancestors, which very often are located far away from their place of residence. The whole families gather to clean the gravesites, pray to their ancestors, and make ritual offerings. Traditionally, families burn imitations of money or material goods that are believed to be essential in the afterlife.
Labour Day – May 1, 2019
Another name for Labour Day is May Day. Unlike other China Holidays, Labour Day every year falls on the exact same day, regardless of the lunisolar calendar. It occurs on May 1, as in 80 other countries worldwide. In 2019, April 30 and May 1 are both non-working days. Many companies can be closed for a whole week. The Chinese see May Day as an opportunity to take more days off and go on vacation. This results in many tourist attractions being overcrowded.
Dragon Boat Festival – June 7, 2019
The Chinese name for Dragon Boat Festival is Duanwu Jie (端午节). It falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunisolar calendar. In 2019, it occurs on June 7 and the non-working days include a whole weekend of June 7-9. It commemorates the death of the poet Qu Yuan who committed suicide by drowning himself in the river after the fall of his deeply beloved motherland. The most important activity during the Dragon Boat Festival is Dragon Boat racing. It is said to originate from the legend of people paddling out on boats to seek the body of the poet. Eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi (粽子) is also an important part of this festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival – September 13, 2019
Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 Zhongqiu Jie) is a celebration of harvest during the full autumn moon. It is one of the most celebrated traditional festivals in China. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunisolar calendar. An important part of the festival celebration is moon worship. The special food of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncake (月饼 yuebing). If you are going to China in September, it’s a very nice gesture to give mooncakes to your Chinese business partner as a gift.
National Day – October 1, 2019
Chinese National Day is celebrated on October 1 every year to commemorate the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. In 2019, the Chinese will celebrate the 70th anniversary of this event. The 7-day holiday from October 1 to 7th is called “Golden Week.” During this time, Chinese people travel all over the country. This causes the prices of tickets and hotel rooms to go up. Offices, factories, and most shops and restaurants are closed. We don’t recommend traveling to China during this time.
Presented in this article, China Holidays 2019 are public holidays of national character. When doing business in China, you need to take Chinese non-working days into consideration. We also recommend checking for the holidays of regional characteristics. If you like our China Holidays 2019 list, please share it!