- China observed seven official public holidays in 2022, including two week-long "Golden Week" breaks for Spring Festival (January 31st – February 6th) and National Day (October 1st – 7th).
- Chinese New Year fell on February 1st, 2022, beginning the Year of the Water Tiger (壬寅).
- Labor Day ran as a five-day break from April 30th to May 4th, the longest of the year outside the two Golden Weeks.
- Seven weekend days were designated make-up working days to create those longer breaks, including January 29th–30th and October 8th–9th.
- Two calendar quirks stood out in 2022: Teachers' Day shared September 10th with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Double Ninth Festival fell on October 4th, inside the National Day Golden Week.
The following tables provide the official schedules for Chinese holidays in 2022. Holidays are categorized as Chinese Public Holidays and Other Chinese Holidays and Observances.
Many holidays, such as Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival, are based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar and therefore fall on different dates each year. Click any holiday name in the tables below to read our full guide to that celebration.
This page is an archive of the 2022 schedule. For current dates, see our 2026 Chinese holiday calendar or plan further ahead with the 2027 calendar.
01 Chinese Public Holidays in 2022
China observes seven official public holidays each year, and 2022 was no exception. Chinese New Year's Eve landed on January 31st, opening a seven-day Spring Festival break, while National Day on October 1st launched a second Golden Week in early October.
The table below gives both the festival date itself and the full run of official days off, which are not always the same. Qingming fell on April 5th, for example, but the public holiday covered April 3rd through 5th.
| Festival Date | Official Days Off | Holiday | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1st | January 1st – 3rd | New Year's Day | 元旦 |
| February 1st | January 31st – February 6th | Chinese New Year | 春节 |
| April 5th | April 3rd – 5th | Qingming Festival | 清明节 |
| May 1st | April 30th – May 4th | Labor Day | 劳动节 |
| June 3rd | June 3rd – 5th | Dragon Boat Festival | 端午节 |
| September 10th | September 10th – 12th | Mid-Autumn Festival | 中秋节 |
| October 1st | October 1st – 7th | National Day Golden Week Holiday | 国庆节 |
The dates of China's traditional holidays are fixed by the lunar calendar, but the length of each public holiday break is set annually by China's State Council. The 2022 arrangement was published in October 2021.
To create the longer breaks, certain Saturdays and Sundays were designated as official make-up working days. In 2022 these were:
- Spring Festival: Saturday January 29th and Sunday January 30th
- Qingming Festival: Saturday April 2nd
- Labor Day: Sunday April 24th and Saturday May 7th
- National Day: Saturday October 8th and Sunday October 9th
New Year's Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival needed no adjustment, since each already fell across a weekend.
02 Other Chinese Holidays and Observances in 2022
In addition to the seven official public holidays, China recognizes a number of cultural, modern, and seasonal observances. Some carry half-day holidays for specific groups, such as women on International Women's Day, youth aged 14–28 on Youth Day, and active military personnel on Army Day, while others are celebrated without any time off.
Learn Chinese in China and you will quickly notice that these smaller occasions shape daily life just as much as the official days off. Shop windows, classroom conversations, and restaurant menus all shift with them.
| Date | Holiday | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| February 15th | Lantern Festival | 元宵节 |
| March 8th | International Women's Day | 妇女节 |
| March 12th | Arbor Day | 植树节 |
| March 20th | Spring Equinox | 春分 |
| May 4th | Youth Day | 青年节 |
| June 1st | Children's Day | 儿童节 |
| June 21st | Summer Solstice | 夏至 |
| July 1st | CPC Founding Day | 建党节 |
| August 1st | Army Day | 建军节 |
| August 4th | Chinese Valentine's Day | 七夕 |
| August 12th | Ghost Festival | 中元节 |
| September 10th | Teachers' Day | 教师节 |
| September 23rd | Autumn Equinox | 秋分 |
| October 4th | Double Ninth Festival | 重阳节 |
| November 11th | Singles' Day | 双十一 |
| December 22nd | Winter Solstice | 冬至 |
Please note that beyond China's official holiday schedule, CLI's academic calendar may differ from the above. Consult CLI's Admissions Manager or your teachers for our most up-to-date academic calendar.
03 2022: The Year of the Water Tiger
Chinese New Year fell on February 1st, 2022, opening the Year of the Tiger. In the sixty-year stem-and-branch cycle, 2022 was a 壬寅 (rényín) year, pairing the tiger with the water element.
The Spring Festival break that follows is the largest annual movement of people on earth, as students and workers return to their hometowns for the reunion dinner. It is also when children and unmarried adults receive hongbao, the red envelopes of lucky money that give the holiday much of its energy.
October's Golden Week is the year's other great travel wave. If you are choosing between the two, it helps to know which of China's best destinations handle the crowds well, and which are better saved for a quieter week.
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