China's 2024 Public Holiday Schedule is Here

China has released its 2024 Public Holiday schedule. For 2024, Chinese New Year’s Eve is not included in the official holiday calendar, although employers are encouraged to arrange paid leave for employees that day. We provide the 2024 public holiday schedule in this article, state the compensatory working days, and explain the difference in overtime payment for public holidays and the adjusted rest days.

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The State Council released the official China Public Holiday 2024 schedule through its Circular of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Public Holidays in 2024 (see here for the official source) on October 25, 2023.

As is traditional, the holiday schedule features two major week-long holidays: Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year) and the National Day holiday (often called ‘Golden Week’).

In 2024, the Spring Festival falls between February 10 and 17, and the National Day holiday falls between October 1 and 7. To be noted, the Chinese New Year’s Eve for 2024 (February 9, 2024) is labeled as a working day in the official schedule. However, the circular states that employers are encouraged to arrange paid leave on that day for their employees.

Foreign human resource managers should note that Saturdays and Sundays are often marked as additional official workdays in China to compensate for long holiday breaks.

For example, in 2024, February 4 (Sunday) and February 18 (Sunday) are designated as workdays to partially offset the seven days off for the Spring Festival.

Private companies in China, however, have the right to determine their own schedules—that is, allow for additional days off—so long as the official holiday calendar is maintained.

Official China Public Holiday 2024 schedule

New Year

• January 1, 2024 (one rest day)

Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)

• February 10 to February 17, 2024 (eight rest days in total)Employers are encouraged to arrange paid leave for employees on Chinese New Year’s Eve (February 9)Adjusted working days: February 4, 2024 (Sunday) and February 18, 2024 (Sunday)

Tomb Sweeping Festival (Ching Ming Festival)

• April 4 to April 6, 2024 (three rest days in total, in connection with one weekend day)Adjusted working days: April 7, 2024 (Sunday)

Labor Day

• May 1 to May 5, 2024 (five rest days in total)Adjusted working days: April 28, 2024 (Sunday) and May 11, 2024 (Saturday)

Dragon Boat Festival

• June 10, 2024 (three rest days in total, in connection with the weekend)

Mid-Autumn Festival

• September 15 to September 17, 2024 (three rest days in total)Adjusted working days: September 14, 2024 (Saturday)

National Day

• October 1 to October 7, 2024 (seven rest days in total)Adjusted working days: September 29, 2024 (Sunday) and October 12, 2024 (Saturday)