China Publishes Full List of Official Public Holidays When Workers Must Be Allowed Rest
- China's Labour Law sets out the specific festivals during which employers must give workers official holidays
- Article 40 of the Labour Law names four specific celebrations plus a fifth broad category covering other legally recognised days
- The law places the responsibility on employing units to arrange the holidays, not on workers to request them
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China's national legislation guarantees workers a fixed set of public holidays each year, with employers legally required to arrange time off during officially recognised festivals.
Article 40 of China's Labour Law sets out the framework, placing the obligation directly on employing units to grant leave during designated holidays rather than leaving it to individual workers to negotiate.
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China's official public holidays
Under the law, five categories of holidays must be observed:
1. New Year's Day
2. The Spring Festival
3. International Labour Day
4. National Day
5. Other holidays provided by laws, rules and regulations
The fifth category gives the government room to add further rest days through additional legislation or administrative rules, meaning the list is not necessarily exhaustive and can be expanded over time.
What the law requires of employers
The wording of Article 40 is direct: employing units "shall" arrange holidays. This means compliance is not optional. Businesses operating in China are bound by these provisions regardless of industry or size.
The Spring Festival, which marks the Lunar New Year, is typically the longest and most culturally significant of the holidays listed. National Day, observed in October, celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China and is also associated with an extended break commonly known as Golden Week.
International Labour Day, observed on May 1, is a public holiday shared by many countries around the world. New Year's Day, observed on January 1, aligns with the international calendar.
Workers and employers alike should note that the specific number of days attached to each holiday is determined separately by State Council regulations and may vary from year to year.
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