The 2026 Holiday Calendar Has a 17-Day Vacation Opportunity

Katie Coy, Managing Editor | Nov 5, 2025 11:30 am | Add a comment | 295 reads

China's official holiday calendar for 2026 has just landed, and it's a classic tale of give and take. While the year is peppered with six inconvenient weekend make-up work days, it also holds the potential for one of the most epic vacation stretches of your career.

Let's break it down, by each holiday.

New Year's Day
Holiday: Thu, Jan 1, to Sat, Jan 3
Make-up work days: Sun, Jan 4
This year Fri, Jan 2, and Sat, Jan 3, have both been designated as holidays (yes they're sneakily counting Saturday as an extra holiday) to give you a nice three-day break. However, you'll then need work the immediate Sunday (Jan 4) afterwards.

Chinese New Year
Holiday: Sun, Feb 15, to Mon, Feb 23
Make-up work days: Sat, Feb 14 and Sat, Feb 28
This year we get a record nine days off for the Chinese New Year holiday! But, as always, this comes with the inevitable make-up days, so you'll have to work the Saturday (Feb 15) before the holiday and then the Saturday (Feb 28) after the holiday.

Tomb-Sweeping Festival
Holiday: Sat, Apr 4, to Mon, Apr 6
Make-up work day: None
For Tomb-Sweeping, you get a nice three days off, and the best news? There's no make-up day!

May Day
Holiday: Fri, May 1, to Tue, May 5
Make-up work days: Sat, May 9
With the addition of May 2 as a public holiday last year, we get five days off again for the May Day holiday, though purists will note it's really only two days off because it includes the regular weekend and you also have to work one make-up day on Sat, May 9.

Dragon Boat Festival
Holiday: Fri, Jun 19, to Sun, Jun 21
Make-up work days: None
Dragon Boat Festival offers another little three day break with no make-up work days tied to it. Lovely!

Mid-Autumn Festival
Holiday: Fri, Sep 25, to Sun, Sep 27
Make-up work days: Sun, Sep 20
Mid-Autumn Festival falls on a Friday this year, so you get a nice three-day break. However you've got to work a make-up day the Sunday (Sep 20) beforehand.

National Day
Holiday: Thu, Oct 1, to Wed, Oct 7
Make-up work days: Sat, Oct 10
As usual, we get a glorious uninterrupted seven days off for National Holiday this year, and there's some more good news in store. As there was already a make-up day for Mid-Autumn Festival in September, you only need to work one make-up day on the Saturday (Oct 10) after the holiday.

Now, for the “Big Fat Holiday Surprise” you've been waiting for.

This is where savvy planners can win the year. By strategically bridging the gap between the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holidays, you can create a vacation of legendary proportions. If you play your cards right and take just six strategic days of paid leave (Sep 28-30 and Oct 8-10), you could unlock a staggering 17 consecutive days without setting foot in the office.

This strategy aligns perfectly with a key government recommendation, which states it “encourages units and individuals to combine the arrangements with the implementation of paid annual leave and other systems to actually form longer holidays and promote staggered travel.” They are officially recognizing the public's need for significant, uninterrupted time off.

So, don't waste a second! Rush over to your HR department and file for those additional days off right now. Your future, well-rested self will thank you.

You can check out the full calendar below, and be sure to save yourself a copy!