2026 Working Days Calendar for China

Legal Basis for Regional Holiday Autonomy

The foundation for regional holiday differences in mainland China is embedded in the National Holidays and Memorial Days Regulations. Article 4 explicitly states that holidays for ethnic minority customs shall be determined by the local people's governments in areas where these minorities reside, in accordance with their traditions. Conversely, the Special Administrative Regions derive their authority from their respective Basic Laws and local ordinances, maintaining separate holiday systems that overlap with some mainland holidays.

Special Administrative Regions (SARs)

Hong Kong

Hong Kong operates under its own General Holidays Ordinance (Cap. 149). The SAR's 2026 calendar includes 17 general holidays, blending Chinese traditions with Western Christian observances and local historical events not recognized in mainland China. Compared with mainland China, its general holidays include Good Friday, the day following Good Friday, the day following Easter Monday, and the first weekday after Christmas Day.

Macau

Macau maintains a distinct holiday calendar reflecting its Portuguese colonial heritage and local Catholic traditions, governed by regional labor laws and government decrees. Unique regional holidays include Macau SAR Establishment Day (December 20), All Souls' Day, the Immaculate Conception Day, Winter Solstice, and extended Christmas holidays, which are not part of the mainland statutory calendar.

Autonomous Regions and Ethnic Minority Holidays

Mainland China's five autonomous regions and some minority prefectures may set localized holiday arrangements. These holidays are legally binding within their jurisdictions but do not apply nationally.

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Xinjiang observes regional holiday additions in mainland China, governed by the 2026 Xinjiang holiday notice. For 2026, the regional government scheduled a 3-day holiday for Roza Heyit (Eid al-Fitr) and a 5-day holiday for Qurban Heyit (Eid al-Adha), rather than adding 8 extra statutory days to the national calendar.

Other Autonomous Regions and Provinces

• Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: Observes the San Yue San (Third Day of the Third Lunar Month) festival; in 2026, April 17 to 20 formed a 4-day regional break to celebrate Zhuang culture.
• Tibet Autonomous Region: the regional government closed 15 to 26 February 2026 for the Spring Festival and Tibetan New Year, twelve days against the nine of the national schedule, while keeping the same two make-up Saturdays of 14 and 28 February. 西藏自治区文化和旅游厅, 28 January 2026
• Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region: In 2026, Eid al-Fitr fell on March 21 with normal weekend rest, while Eid al-Adha ran from May 27 to 28 for 2 days.
• Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: Observes the Anniversary of the Establishment of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (May 1, commemorating its founding in 1947), which coincides with Labor Day.
• Yunnan Province: Various autonomous prefectures observe local minority festivals, including the Water Splashing Festival in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna and Dehong prefectures.

Recent Legislative Trends

The State Council's 2024 Amendment to the National Holidays Regulations, effective January 1, 2025, increased the total number of national statutory holidays from 11 to 13 days (adding Lunar New Year's Eve and an extra day for Labor Day). While this amendment standardized the national baseline and introduced rules limiting continuous pre- and post-holiday working days to a maximum of six, it explicitly preserved the autonomy of regional governments to append ethnic minority holidays. Consequently, the gap between the national standard and regional calendars in areas like Xinjiang and Ningxia remains structurally intact, with local governments continuing to issue annual supplementary notices integrating Islamic holidays with the newly expanded national framework.

The Legal Framework of Tiaoxiu

In China, the statutory public holiday schedule is determined annually by the State Council. To create extended holiday bridges, the government shifts adjacent weekend days to align with weekday public holidays. Consequently, adjacent weekend days are designated as official working days. The 2026 schedule was formalized in the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Partial Holidays in 2026 (Document No. 国办发明电〔2025〕7号), published on November 4, 2025.

2026 Official Make-up Workdays (Buban / 补班)

The official schedule designates the following six weekend dates as workdays in 2026. These dates are officially designated workdays under the national schedule, subject to the employer's schedule.

• January 4, 2026 (Sunday): Compensates for the 3-day New Year's Day holiday break (January 1-3).
• February 14, 2026 (Saturday): Pre-holiday make-up day for the 9-day Spring Festival break.
• February 28, 2026 (Saturday): Post-holiday make-up day for the 9-day Spring Festival break.
• May 9, 2026 (Saturday): Compensates for the 5-day Labor Day holiday break (May 1-5).
• September 20, 2026 (Sunday): Pre-holiday make-up day for the 7-day National Day Golden Week.
• October 10, 2026 (Saturday): Post-holiday make-up day for the 7-day National Day Golden Week.

Labor Law and Overtime Implications

A common point of confusion for foreign employers and expatriates is whether working on a designated Tiaoxiu weekend triggers weekend overtime pay. According to Chinese labor regulations and HR compliance guidelines outlined by sources like China Briefing, because the State Council decree designates these specific Saturdays and Sundays as workdays, employees are fulfilling their regular workweek obligations. Therefore, no special weekend overtime premium (typically 200% of the base wage) is due for working on these specific make-up days under the standard working-hour system.

Holidays Requiring No Make-up Work

It is worth noting that not all 2026 holidays require calendar shuffling. The Qingming Festival (April 4-6), Dragon Boat Festival (June 19-21), and Mid-Autumn Festival (September 25-27) naturally align with adjacent weekends, granting a 3-day break without necessitating any compensatory buban workdays. For workers and employers, these periods represent the smoothest transitions of the year, free from the complexities of the Tiaoxiu system.