Chinese School Holidays 2026/2027
China's public holidays and the school holidays of 20 cities – from Harbin in the north to Shenzhen and Xiamen in the south – as a yearly calendar, plus a check for whether your planned travel dates fall into a major travel wave. All school dates come from the calendars of each city's or province's education authority.
7 public holidays in 2026 · Last verified: 2026-09-12
Plan around two stretches in particular: Spring Festival from 15 to 23 February 2026, and the National Day Golden Week from 1 to 7 October 2026 – trains, flights, and train stations are busiest on the first and last days of each block (day by day: Golden Week 2026). In 2026 China has seven public holidays with 13 days off in total – the nine-day Spring Festival is the longest in the history of the People's Republic. The State Council won't publish the 2027 holiday schedule until late 2026.
Which city should the school holidays be shown for?
2026
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2027
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Check your travel dates
High crowds expected
Your date range overlaps with National Day / Golden Week.
2026 holidays published on November 4, 2025 · Last verified: September 12, 2026
North-South Divide in School Holidays
China's provinces set their school holidays based on regional climate, not a single nationwide schedule. Across the 20 cities the pattern runs clearly from north to south: in the Northeast (Harbin, Dalian) winter break 2026 started in mid-January and lasted 44–46 days, while summer break there is the shortest at 47–48 days. The Yangtze River Delta is the mirror image – Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Hefei had just 25–28 days of winter break but summer breaks of 58–62 days; Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou and Hefei broke up for summer as early as 1 July 2026. On winter break length, North China (27–37 days) and Central & Southwest China (30–33 days) sit in between. In the South, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – which follow the same Guangdong provincial guidelines and have identical dates – started summer break on 11 July, ten days later than Shanghai.
| City | Winter break 2026 | Summer break 2026 | Winter break 2027 | Summer break 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | ||||
| Harbin 哈尔滨 | Jan 16 – Feb 28 (44) | Jul 16 – Aug 31 (47) | – | – |
| Dalian 大连 | Jan 15 – Mar 1 (46) | Jul 15 – Aug 31 (48) | – | – |
| North China | ||||
| Beijing 北京 | Jan 24 – Mar 1 (37) | Jul 8 – Aug 31 (55) | Jan 18 – Feb 21 (35) | Jul 6 – Aug 31 (57) |
| Tianjin 天津 | Jan 29 – Mar 1 (32) | Jul 6 – Aug 31 (57) | Jan 19 – Feb 21 (34) | Jul 5 – Aug 31 (58) |
| Qingdao 青岛 | Feb 3 – Mar 4 (30) | Jul 6 – Aug 30 (56) | – | – |
| Zhengzhou 郑州 | Feb 6 – Mar 4 (27) | Jul 4 – Aug 31 (59) | – | – |
| Xi'an 西安 | Feb 2 – Mar 4 (31) | Jul 5 – Aug 31 (58) | – | – |
| Central & Southwest China | ||||
| Wuhan 武汉 | Jan 31 – Mar 3 (32) | Jul 5 – Aug 31 (58) | – | – |
| Changsha 长沙 | Feb 1 – Mar 3 (31) | Jul 12 – Aug 29 (49) | Jan 24 – Feb 20 (28) | Jul 11 – Aug 28 (49) |
| Chengdu 成都 | Jan 31 – Mar 1 (30) | Jul 4 – Aug 31 (59) | Jan 23 – Feb 21 (30) | Jul 3 – Aug 31 (60) |
| Chongqing 重庆 | Jan 31 – Mar 4 (33) | Jul 2 – Aug 31 (61) | Jan 19 – Feb 21 (34) | Jul 3 – Aug 31 (60) |
| Yangtze River Delta | ||||
| Shanghai 上海 | Feb 2 – Feb 27 (26) | Jul 1 – Aug 31 (62) | Jan 23 – Feb 21 (30) | Jul 1 – Aug 31 (62) |
| Nanjing 南京 | Feb 7 – Mar 4 (26) | Jul 1 – Aug 31 (62) | – | – |
| Suzhou 苏州 | Feb 7 – Mar 4 (26) | Jul 1 – Aug 31 (62) | – | – |
| Hangzhou 杭州 | Feb 7 – Mar 4 (26) | Jul 5 – Aug 31 (58) | Jan 30 – Feb 21 (23) | – |
| Ningbo 宁波 | Feb 7 – Mar 3 (25) | Jul 5 – Aug 31 (58) | Jan 30 – Feb 21 (23) | Jul 5 – Aug 31 (58) |
| Hefei 合肥 | Feb 5 – Mar 4 (28) | Jul 1 – Aug 31 (62) | – | – |
| South China | ||||
| Guangzhou 广州 | Jan 31 – Mar 1 (30) | Jul 11 – Aug 31 (52) | Jan 23 – Feb 21 (30) | Jul 10 – Aug 31 (53) |
| Shenzhen 深圳 | Jan 31 – Mar 1 (30) | Jul 11 – Aug 31 (52) | Jan 23 – Feb 21 (30) | Jul 10 – Aug 31 (53) |
| Xiamen 厦门 | Jan 31 – Feb 25 (26) | Jul 4 – Aug 31 (59) | Jan 28 – Feb 21 (25) | Jul 3 – Aug 31 (60) |
– = not yet published.
The regional grouping is our own classification by climate zone; the dates themselves come city by city from the official school calendars (see sources). They apply to primary and middle schools (compulsory education) – senior high schools often break up about a week later.
All Dates at a Glance
Public Holidays in China 2026
Spring Festival (Chunjie)
Period: February 15, 2026 – February 23, 2026
Makeup workdays: February 14, 2026, February 28, 2026
National Day / Golden Week
Period: October 1, 2026 – October 7, 2026
Makeup workdays: September 20, 2026, October 10, 2026
The State Council traditionally doesn't publish the following year's holiday schedule until November or December of the prior year. For 2027, no official announcement is available yet (as of 1 August 2026); it's expected to be published in late 2026. The dates of some of the underlying festivals are already known (without the later holiday-block/makeup-workday fine-tuning): Chinese New Year on 6 February 2027, Mid-Autumn Festival on 15 September 2027, and National Day, as every year, on 1 October.
School Holidays by City (2026 & 2027) – 20 Cities
Northeast
Harbin (哈尔滨) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 16, 2026 – February 28, 2026 · 44 days
Summer break 2026
July 16, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 47 days
School calendar for Heilongjiang province (applies to Harbin), compulsory-education level. The calendar for the 2026/2027 school year (winter holidays 2027, summer holidays 2027) had not yet been published as of this page's last update – expected in the second half of 2026.
Dalian (大连) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 15, 2026 – March 1, 2026 · 46 days
Summer break 2026
July 15, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 48 days
School calendar from the Dalian Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. Dalian publishes its calendar one term at a time; the 2026/27 calendar (winter break 2027) had not been published as of this page's last update.
North China
Beijing (北京) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 24, 2026 – March 1, 2026 · 37 days
Summer break 2026
July 8, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 55 days
Winter break 2027
January 18, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 35 days
Summer break 2027
July 6, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 57 days
School calendar from the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, compulsory-education level.
Tianjin (天津) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 29, 2026 – March 1, 2026 · 32 days
Summer break 2026
July 6, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 57 days
Winter break 2027
January 19, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 34 days
Summer break 2027
July 5, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 58 days
Teaching calendar (教学行政历) from the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission, compulsory-education level – with explicitly stated holiday periods.
Qingdao (青岛) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 3, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 30 days
Summer break 2026
July 6, 2026 – August 30, 2026 · 56 days
School calendar from the Qingdao Education Bureau, compulsory-education level; Qingdao publishes one term at a time. Classes in autumn 2026 already started on 31 August. According to the calendar for the first term of 2026/27, winter break 2027 starts on 25 January – its end will only be set in the second-term calendar, usually published in December.
Zhengzhou (郑州) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 6, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 27 days
Summer break 2026
July 4, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 59 days
Holiday schedule from the Zhengzhou Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. Zhengzhou sets each break shortly beforehand (winter break in January, summer break in June) – the 2027 dates are therefore not yet fixed.
Xi'an (西安) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 2, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 31 days
Summer break 2026
July 5, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 58 days
Holiday schedule from the Xi'an Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. The 2026/27 calendar (winter break 2027) had not been published as of this page's last update.
Central & Southwest China
Wuhan (武汉) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 31, 2026 – March 3, 2026 · 32 days
Summer break 2026
July 5, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 58 days
Two-term school calendar (两学期校历) from the Wuhan Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. According to the 2026/27 calendar, winter break 2027 starts on 23 January; we haven't yet been able to confirm the following term start or summer break 2027 from an official source.
Changsha (长沙) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 1, 2026 – March 3, 2026 · 31 days
Summer break 2026
July 12, 2026 – August 29, 2026 · 49 days
Winter break 2027
January 24, 2027 – February 20, 2027 · 28 days
Summer break 2027
July 11, 2027 – August 28, 2027 · 49 days
Changsha's school calendar for general schools. Unlike most cities, Changsha states fixed end dates: summer break 2026 ends on 29 August (classes from 31 August), winter break 2027 on 20 February (classes from 22 February).
Chengdu (成都) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 31, 2026 – March 1, 2026 · 30 days
Summer break 2026
July 4, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 59 days
Winter break 2027
January 23, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 30 days
Summer break 2027
July 3, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 60 days
Teaching-time schedule from the Chengdu Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. Summer break 2027 is shown through 31 August; the authority won't fix the exact start of the 2027/28 school year until 2027.
Chongqing (重庆) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 31, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 33 days
Summer break 2026
July 2, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 61 days
Winter break 2027
January 19, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 34 days
Summer break 2027
July 3, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 60 days
School calendar from the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, compulsory-education level. Summer break 2027 is shown through 31 August; the authority won't fix the exact start of the 2027/28 school year until 2027.
Yangtze River Delta
Shanghai (上海) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 2, 2026 – February 27, 2026 · 26 days
Summer break 2026
July 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 62 days
Winter break 2027
January 23, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 30 days
Summer break 2027
July 1, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 62 days
School calendar from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, compulsory-education level.
Nanjing (南京) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 7, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 26 days
Summer break 2026
July 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 62 days
Nanjing follows Jiangsu province's unified school calendar, published one term at a time. According to the calendar for the first term of 2026/27, winter break 2027 starts on 27 January – its end will only be set in the second-term calendar (usually published in February).
Suzhou (苏州) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 7, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 26 days
Summer break 2026
July 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 62 days
Suzhou follows Jiangsu province's unified school calendar, published one term at a time. According to the calendar for the first term of 2026/27, winter break 2027 starts on 27 January – its end will only be set in the second-term calendar (usually published in February).
Hangzhou (杭州) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 7, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 26 days
Summer break 2026
July 5, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 58 days
Winter break 2027
January 30, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 23 days
Dates from the Hangzhou Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. Hangzhou doesn't publish a full-year calendar but sets the dates at the end of each term – summer break 2027 is therefore not fixed yet.
Ningbo (宁波) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 7, 2026 – March 3, 2026 · 25 days
Summer break 2026
July 5, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 58 days
Winter break 2027
January 30, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 23 days
Summer break 2027
July 5, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 58 days
School calendar from the Ningbo Education Bureau for primary, middle and high schools. Summer break 2027 is shown through 31 August; the authority won't fix the exact start of the 2027/28 school year until 2027.
Hefei (合肥) school holidays
Winter break 2026
February 5, 2026 – March 4, 2026 · 28 days
Summer break 2026
July 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 62 days
Holiday schedule from the Hefei Education Bureau, compulsory-education level. Hefei sets each break shortly beforehand – the 2027 dates are not fixed yet.
South China
Guangzhou (广州) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 31, 2026 – March 1, 2026 · 30 days
Summer break 2026
July 11, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 52 days
Winter break 2027
January 23, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 30 days
Summer break 2027
July 10, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 53 days
School calendar from the Guangzhou Education Bureau, compulsory-education level.
Shenzhen (深圳) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 31, 2026 – March 1, 2026 · 30 days
Summer break 2026
July 11, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 52 days
Winter break 2027
January 23, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 30 days
Summer break 2027
July 10, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 53 days
School calendar from the Shenzhen Education Bureau, compulsory-education level; senior high schools (普通高中) start each break one week later. The dates for 2026 and 2027 are identical to Guangzhou's – both follow Guangdong province's guidelines. Summer break 2027 is shown through 31 August; the authority won't fix the exact start of the 2027/28 school year until 2027.
Xiamen (厦门) school holidays
Winter break 2026
January 31, 2026 – February 25, 2026 · 26 days
Summer break 2026
July 4, 2026 – August 31, 2026 · 59 days
Winter break 2027
January 28, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · 25 days
Summer break 2027
July 3, 2027 – August 31, 2027 · 60 days
School calendar from the Xiamen Education Bureau for primary and middle schools, with explicitly stated holiday periods.
Public holidays: official State Council announcement, applies nationwide. School holidays: official school calendars from the respective city/provincial education authority, for compulsory-education levels (primary/middle school) – senior high schools (普通高中) can differ by up to a week. The end of each break is the last free day before classes resume (or the explicitly stated end, where the calendar gives one). Cities without 2027 dates haven't published their calendar yet; Hong Kong and Macau aren't listed because each school there sets its own calendar and there is no single official school calendar. The "crowd level" rating in the date check is our own editorial assessment, not a measured occupancy or price statistic.
Why China Works Some Weekends (调休 / diàoxiū)
China's holidays are "rearranged" (调休, diàoxiū): so that, for example, the nine-day Spring Festival is a continuous block off, a weekend before or after it is declared a regular working day – these are the "makeup workdays" in the list above. This affects offices and government agencies – most tourist-facing services (shops, restaurants, trains) run normally on these days. For a full explanation of this system, plus its effects on train tickets and embassy appointments as well as the region-specific holidays in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau, see the Chinese Public Holidays page →.
FAQ
Why isn't the 2027 holiday schedule complete yet?
China's State Council traditionally doesn't publish the exact holiday and makeup-workday schedule for the following year until November or December of the prior year. As of September 2026, this announcement for 2027 isn't available yet.
Why do school holidays differ between Chinese cities?
Each province and municipality sets its own school calendar, largely by climate. In 2026 the Northeast had the longest winter breaks (44–46 days), the Yangtze River Delta the shortest (25–28 days) – and in return summer breaks of 58–62 days. Summer breaks everywhere fall in July and August.
Which cities have already published their 2027 school holidays?
Winter and summer break 2027 are already official for Beijing, Tianjin, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiamen; for Hangzhou only winter break 2027 is set so far. The other cities publish their next calendar later – Nanjing, Suzhou and Qingdao, for example, one term at a time.
Are Hong Kong and Macau included?
No. In Hong Kong and Macau each school sets its own calendar within the education authority's guidelines, so there is no single official school calendar to list. Their public holidays, which differ considerably from the mainland, are on the Chinese Public Holidays page.
What exactly does the crowd-level rating in the date check mean?
It's our own, transparent rating based on holiday length (the Spring Festival and National Day count the most) and whether the period also falls within the school holidays of the city selected above. It's an editorial assessment, not a measured booking or price statistic.
Which holidays are least suitable for a trip?
The Spring Festival and the National Day Golden Week are by far the biggest travel waves in the country – trains, flights, and popular attractions are booked out weeks in advance, and hotel prices rise sharply. Qingming, Dragon Boat, and Mid-Autumn Festival are shorter at 3 days and noticeably calmer regionally.
Sources
- 国务院办公厅关于2026年部分节假日安排的通知 (State Council, 4 November 2025)
- Harbin: Heilongjiang province school calendar, 2025/26 school year (winter/summer break 2026) – People's Daily Online report
- Dalian: Dalian school calendar, 1st term 2025/26 (winter break 2026) – report in Peninsula Morning Post (半岛晨报)
- Dalian: Dalian school calendar, 2nd term 2025/26 (summer break 2026) – Lüshunkou District government
- Beijing: 北京市教育委员会关于印发2025—2026学年度各级各类学校校历的通知 (winter/summer break 2026)
- Beijing: 北京市教育委员会关于印发2026—2027学年度各级各类学校校历的通知 (winter/summer break 2027)
- Tianjin: 天津市中小学寒假时间看过来 (winter break 2026) – Wuqing District government
- Tianjin: 天津市中小学2025～2026学年度教学行政历, 2nd term (summer break 2026) – news report
- Tianjin: 市教委关于印发中小学2026～2027学年度教学行政历的通知 (winter/summer break 2027) – news report
- Qingdao: 关于印发2025-2026学年度第一学期中小学校历的通知 (winter break 2026)
- Qingdao: 关于印发2025-2026学年度第二学期中小学校历的通知 (summer break 2026)
- Qingdao: Qingdao school calendar, 1st term 2026/27 (start of winter break 2027) – news report
- Zhengzhou: 郑州市中小学2026年寒假安排发布 (winter break 2026)
- Zhengzhou: 2026年郑州市中小学生暑假时间定了 (summer break 2026)
- Xi'an: Winter break 2026 (start) – report in Shaanxi Daily (陕西日报)
- Xi'an: Winter break 2026 and spring term start – news report on the Education Bureau's reply
- Xi'an: 《关于做好中小学期末及暑假工作的通知》 (summer break 2026) – report in Guangming Online (光明网)
- Wuhan: 武汉中小学放假时间出炉 (winter break 2026) – Wuhan municipal government
- Wuhan: 武汉市教育局：放暑假具体时间公布 (summer break 2026) – Wuhan municipal government
- Wuhan: Wuhan school calendar 2026/27 (start of winter break 2027) – news report
- Changsha: 长沙市普通中小学职业技术学校2025学年度校历 (winter/summer break 2026) – published by 芙蓉发布 (Furong District)
- Changsha: 长沙市普通中小学职业技术学校2026学年度校历 (winter/summer break 2027) – report in Xingsha Times (星沙时报)
- Chengdu: Chengdu school calendar 2025/26 (winter/summer break 2026) – published by the Pidu District media centre
- Chengdu: 成都市教育局关于2026—2027学年中小学（幼儿园）教学时间安排的通知 (winter/summer break 2027)
- Chongqing: Chongqing school calendar 2025/26 (winter break 2026) – Chongqing municipal government
- Chongqing: 重庆中小学2026年春季学期3月5日开学 (summer break 2026) – Chongqing municipal government
- Chongqing: Chongqing school calendar 2026/27 (winter/summer break 2027) – Chongqing municipal government
- Shanghai: 上海市教育委员会关于印发《上海市中小学2025学年校历》的通知 (winter/summer break 2026)
- Shanghai: 上海市教育委员会关于印发《上海市中小学2026学年校历》的通知 (winter/summer break 2027)
- Nanjing: Winter break 2026 – Nanjing Education Bureau
- Nanjing: 南京中小学暑假时间定了 (summer break 2026) – Jiangning District government
- Nanjing: School calendar, 1st term 2026/27 (start of winter break 2027) – report in Jiangsu China Net (中国江苏网)
- Suzhou: 苏州市中小学幼儿园2025—2026学年度第二学期校历 (end of winter break and summer break 2026)
- Suzhou: 苏州市中小学幼儿园2026—2027学年度第一学期校历 (start of winter break 2027)
- Hangzhou: 浙江多地官宣中小学寒假时间 杭州中小学寒假25天 (winter break 2026) – Hangzhou CPPCC website
- Hangzhou: 杭州市教育局办公室关于做好2026年春季学期结束等有关工作的通知 (summer break 2026, winter break 2027)
- Ningbo: 宁波市中小学2025-2026学年度校历 (winter/summer break 2026) – report in China Ningbo Net (中国宁波网)
- Ningbo: 宁波市中小学2026-2027学年度校历 (winter/summer break 2027) – report in Xiangshan News (象山新闻网)
- Hefei: 合肥市2026年中小学幼儿园寒假时间确定 (winter break 2026) – Anhui Traffic Radio report
- Hefei: 合肥2026年中小学幼儿园暑假安排出炉 (summer break 2026) – People's Daily Online report
- Guangzhou: 广州市教育局关于印发2025-2026学年普通中小学校校历的通知 (winter/summer break 2026)
- Guangzhou: Guangzhou school calendar 2026/27 (winter/summer break 2027) – Guangzhou Education Bureau
- Shenzhen: 深圳市教育局关于印发2025-2026学年普通中小学校校历的通知 (winter/summer break 2026)
- Shenzhen: 深圳市教育局关于印发2026-2027学年普通中小学校校历的通知 (winter/summer break 2027)
- Xiamen: 厦门市全日制中小学2025-2026学年度校历表 (winter/summer break 2026)
- Xiamen: Xiamen Education Bureau annual school calendars, 2026/27 (winter/summer break 2027)
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