{"name":"Plain Freight China Holiday Shipping Calendar","description":"China public holidays that move factory output and freight, October 2026 through 2027, with official dates from the State Council notice, the operational effect as reported by cited logistics sources, and a planning line for each.","url":"https://plainfreight.com/data/china-holiday-shipping-calendar","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","verified_on":"2026-09-26","quick_answer":"China's two freight-moving holidays in the next year are National Day Golden Week, 1 to 7 October 2026 (official, with make-up workdays on 20 September and 10 October), and Chinese New Year 2027, which falls on Saturday 6 February 2027 with statutory days 5 to 8 February; the official 2027 schedule is not yet published. To ship before Chinese New Year, SEKO Logistics advises finalising production orders by late November to early December 2026 and booking ocean space 3 to 4 weeks before departure.","notes":["status 'official' means the dates and make-up workdays come from the State Council General Office notice for that year.","status 'expected' means the official notice for that year was not published on verified_on. start and end are the statutory days under the national holiday rules on the lunar or fixed date; the real break is usually longer and make-up workdays are deliberately left empty.","Operational effects and lead times are attributed to the named source in each row; they are that source's guidance, not a guarantee."],"rows":[{"id":"mid-autumn-2026","holiday":"Mid-Autumn Festival 2026","holiday_zh":"中秋节","start":"2026-09-25","end":"2026-09-27","dates":"25 to 27 Sep 2026 (Fri to Sun), 3 days","status":"official","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"3 days off, 25 to 27 September. No make-up workday of its own.","impact":"A short break, but in 2026 it sits directly in front of National Day: after it there are only three working days, 28 to 30 September, before the Golden Week block starts. Cargo that missed the pre-Mid-Autumn cut-off competes for those three days with everything else trying to leave before 1 October.","factory_impact_window":"25 to 27 Sep, then a 3-day working gap before Golden Week","book_by":"Passed. Anything not handed over by 24 September moves in the 28 to 30 September window or after Golden Week.","book_by_date":"2026-09-24","sources":[{"label":"State Council General Office, notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (国办发明电〔2025〕7号, 4 Nov 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202511/content_7047090.htm"}]},{"id":"national-day-2026","holiday":"National Day Golden Week 2026","holiday_zh":"国庆节","start":"2026-10-01","end":"2026-10-07","dates":"1 to 7 Oct 2026 (Thu to Wed), 7 days","status":"official","make_up_workdays":["2026-09-20","2026-10-10"],"official_note":"7 days off, 1 to 7 October. Make-up workdays: Sunday 20 September and Saturday 10 October.","impact":"Crane Worldwide's advisory: factories, warehouses and government offices may close or run on reduced staff, manufacturing slows significantly, and operations may need additional time to return to normal after the break. September sees a surge of cargo trying to leave first, which constrains capacity and puts upward pressure on rates. On the ocean side, Drewry's tracker of 25 September counts 58 blank sailings across the main East-West trades for weeks 40 to 44 (8% of 712 planned), 64% of them on the Transpacific eastbound. Maersk's own advisory lists Golden Week blankings on its TP8 (from Busan) and TP12 (from Ningbo) Asia to US services, both with a proforma departure of 9 October.","factory_impact_window":"1 to 7 Oct closed; slower restart after, length not fixed by any source","book_by":"Passed for pre-holiday cargo. Crane's rule is ocean space 3 to 4 weeks before cargo readiness and air at least 1 week ahead, so cargo ready by 30 September needed ocean booked by 2 to 9 September and air by 23 September. Plan on it moving from 8 October onward; 10 October is a working Saturday.","book_by_date":"2026-09-23","sources":[{"label":"State Council General Office, notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (国办发明电〔2025〕7号, 4 Nov 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202511/content_7047090.htm"},{"label":"Crane Worldwide Logistics, China Golden Week 2026 shipping advisory (30 Aug 2026)","url":"https://www.craneww.com/insights/china-golden-week-2026-shipping-advisory-and-supply-chain-impact"},{"label":"Drewry, Cancelled Sailings Tracker, weekly analysis of 25 Sep 2026","url":"https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/supply-chain-expertise/cancelled-sailings-tracker"},{"label":"Maersk, Transpacific schedule adjustments for Golden Week (28 Aug 2026)","url":"https://www.maersk.com/news/articles/2026/08/28/transpacific-schedule-adjustments-golden-week-2026"}]},{"id":"new-year-2027","holiday":"New Year's Day 2027","holiday_zh":"元旦","start":"2027-01-01","end":"2027-01-01","dates":"1 Jan 2027 (Fri), statutory 1 day","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Statutory 1 day under the national holiday rules. The 2027 notice, which sets any bridging days, is not yet published.","impact":"A one-day statutory holiday. It matters mostly because it falls inside the run-up to the Spring Festival, when SEKO describes factories already reducing capacity from early-to-mid January.","factory_impact_window":"1 Jan; official block not yet published","book_by":"No separate deadline. Plan it as part of the Chinese New Year 2027 schedule below.","book_by_date":null,"sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"GovHK, general holidays for 2027 (used only for the 2027 lunar festival dates)","url":"https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm"}]},{"id":"spring-festival-2027","holiday":"Chinese New Year 2027 (Spring Festival)","holiday_zh":"春节","start":"2027-02-05","end":"2027-02-08","dates":"Lunar New Year's Day is Sat 6 Feb 2027; statutory days 5 to 8 Feb (Eve plus days 1 to 3)","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Since 2025 the Spring Festival carries 4 statutory days: New Year's Eve and the first three days of the lunar year, which in 2027 are 5 to 8 February. The full 2027 block and its make-up workdays are not yet published. For scale only: the 2026 block ran 9 days, 15 to 23 February.","impact":"The longest shutdown of the year. SEKO's guide expects factories to start reducing capacity around 9 to 16 January 2027, a complete shutdown clustered around 30 January to 14 February, a restart at only about 35% of the workforce from roughly 20 February to 6 March, and normal capacity about 4 to 6 weeks after the holiday begins (roughly 6 to 20 March). It adds that up to 25% of factory workers may not return to their previous employer. Ocean rates typically begin climbing in mid-December, with general rate increases announced every 1 to 2 weeks through January, and soften two to three weeks after the holiday if capacity normalises.","factory_impact_window":"About 9 Jan to mid-March 2027 (SEKO), full stop around 30 Jan to 14 Feb","book_by":"Finalise production orders 8 to 10 weeks before, which is 28 November to 12 December 2026; rush-order cut-off early to mid January 2027; book ocean space 3 to 4 weeks before departure (4 to 5 weeks at the peak) and ship by mid to late January; book air 1 to 2 weeks before the holiday, in late January. All per SEKO.","book_by_date":"2026-12-12","sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"GovHK, general holidays for 2027 (used only for the 2027 lunar festival dates)","url":"https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm"},{"label":"State Council General Office, notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (国办发明电〔2025〕7号, 4 Nov 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202511/content_7047090.htm"},{"label":"SEKO Logistics, Lunar New Year 2027 supply chain planning guide (6 Aug 2026)","url":"https://www.sekologistics.com/en/resource-hub/knowledge-hub/lunar-new-year-2026-complete-supply-chain-planning-guide-for-asia-sourcing/"}]},{"id":"qingming-2027","holiday":"Qingming Festival 2027","holiday_zh":"清明节","start":"2027-04-05","end":"2027-04-05","dates":"5 Apr 2027 (Mon), statutory 1 day","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Statutory 1 day. In 2026 the block was 3 days (4 to 6 April) with no make-up workday. 2027 block not yet published.","impact":"A short break. We found no fetched source that quantifies its effect on factory output or freight, so we state none: expect suppliers, trucking and offices to be off for the official days.","factory_impact_window":"Official days only; 2027 block not yet published","book_by":"No sourced lead-time rule. Ask your supplier for its working calendar once the 2027 notice is out and keep ship dates clear of the break.","book_by_date":null,"sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"GovHK, general holidays for 2027 (used only for the 2027 lunar festival dates)","url":"https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm"},{"label":"State Council General Office, notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (国办发明电〔2025〕7号, 4 Nov 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202511/content_7047090.htm"}]},{"id":"labor-day-2027","holiday":"Labor Day 2027","holiday_zh":"劳动节","start":"2027-05-01","end":"2027-05-02","dates":"1 to 2 May 2027 (Sat to Sun), statutory 2 days","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Statutory 2 days since 2025. Both fall on a weekend in 2027, and the rules say a statutory day that falls on a Saturday or Sunday is made up on a working day, so the break will reach into the week; the exact days are not yet published. In 2026 the block was 5 days (1 to 5 May) with a make-up workday on 9 May.","impact":"Among the short holidays this is the one that has recently been stretched into a 5-day block. No fetched source quantifies its freight effect; treat the whole official block as closed.","factory_impact_window":"Official block, not yet published","book_by":"No sourced lead-time rule. Once the 2027 block is published, have cargo handed over before its first day.","book_by_date":null,"sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"State Council General Office, notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (国办发明电〔2025〕7号, 4 Nov 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202511/content_7047090.htm"}]},{"id":"dragon-boat-2027","holiday":"Dragon Boat Festival 2027","holiday_zh":"端午节","start":"2027-06-09","end":"2027-06-09","dates":"9 Jun 2027 (Wed), statutory 1 day","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Statutory 1 day. In 2026 the block was 3 days (19 to 21 June). 2027 block not yet published.","impact":"A short break. No fetched source quantifies its freight effect; expect the official days off.","factory_impact_window":"Official days only; 2027 block not yet published","book_by":"No sourced lead-time rule. Keep ship dates clear of the official block.","book_by_date":null,"sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"GovHK, general holidays for 2027 (used only for the 2027 lunar festival dates)","url":"https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm"},{"label":"State Council General Office, notice on the 2026 holiday arrangements (国办发明电〔2025〕7号, 4 Nov 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202511/content_7047090.htm"}]},{"id":"mid-autumn-2027","holiday":"Mid-Autumn Festival 2027","holiday_zh":"中秋节","start":"2027-09-15","end":"2027-09-15","dates":"15 Sep 2027 (Wed), statutory 1 day","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Statutory 1 day. Unlike 2026, it falls about two weeks before National Day rather than next to it. 2027 block not yet published.","impact":"A short break in the middle of the pre-Golden Week rush. No fetched source quantifies its freight effect on its own.","factory_impact_window":"Official days only; 2027 block not yet published","book_by":"Plan it inside the National Day 2027 schedule: the ocean booking window for pre-holiday cargo opens around the same days.","book_by_date":null,"sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"GovHK, general holidays for 2027 (used only for the 2027 lunar festival dates)","url":"https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm"}]},{"id":"national-day-2027","holiday":"National Day Golden Week 2027","holiday_zh":"国庆节","start":"2027-10-01","end":"2027-10-03","dates":"1 to 3 Oct 2027 (Fri to Sun), statutory 3 days","status":"expected","make_up_workdays":[],"official_note":"Statutory 3 days. Two of them fall on a weekend, so under the rules the break extends into working days; the exact block and make-up workdays are not yet published. For scale only: the 2026 block ran 7 days with two make-up workdays.","impact":"Expect the same pattern Crane Worldwide describes for 2026: closures or reduced staffing at factories, warehouses and offices, a September cargo surge with constrained capacity, and a restart that takes additional time.","factory_impact_window":"From 1 Oct 2027; block not yet published","book_by":"Applying Crane's rule to cargo ready by 30 September 2027: book ocean space by 2 to 9 September 2027 and air by 23 September 2027. Recheck once the official block is out.","book_by_date":"2027-09-09","sources":[{"label":"State Council, decision amending the national holiday rules (in force 1 Jan 2025)","url":"https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202411/content_6986381.htm"},{"label":"Crane Worldwide Logistics, China Golden Week 2026 shipping advisory (30 Aug 2026)","url":"https://www.craneww.com/insights/china-golden-week-2026-shipping-advisory-and-supply-chain-impact"}]}]}