China Travel Tips

Public Holidays in China

On the following national holidays, banks and offices are closed, as are some shops, restaurants and tourist sights. These are peak domestic travel periods.

1 January　　　　　New Year’s Day Three days’ Holiday (From Jan.1 to Jan.3)

January-February　　　　　Chinese New Year/Spring Festival (follows the lunar calendar and it lasts about 10 days: e.g. Feb.13- Feb.21 in 2010; Feb. 2-Feb.10 in 2011; Jan. 22-Jan.30 in 2012)

1 May　　　　　Labor Day　　　　　Three days’ Holiday (From May 1 to May 3)

1 October　　　　　 National Day　　　　　Severn day’s Holiday (From Oct.1 to Oct. 7)

In addition, Chinese celebrate the traditional festivals by following the lunar calendar, like the Mid-autumn Festival (one day holiday), the Dragon Boat Festival (one day holiday), you are advised to confirm the exact date of those festivals in the Gregorian Calendar from your China interpreter or your Guangzhou/Shanghai tour guide.

Opening Hours

Banks: Usually Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Some open for limited services on Saturday.

Shops: Hours vary. Most shops are open daily 9:30 am to 9:00 pm. Department stores and malls, 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Offices: Mon-Fri 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Some close for lunch, noon-1:30 pm or 2:00 pm

Museums: Usually open seven days a week 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, although a number of museums and other tourist sights are closed for one day each week.

Bars: Generally, bars that double as cafes often open as early as 7:30 am and stay open all day. Others open by noon. The official closing hour is 2:00 am after midnight. However, bars in some big cities may close at different time. Please confirm it with your tour guide in Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc.

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