September 14, 2022

What is the Chinese Golden Week holiday?

Golden week this year falls between 1st October and 8th October and is a holiday throughout the People's Republic of China. The National Day Holiday is from October.1st to October.7th and October 8th and 9th are working days in lieu.

National Day falls on the 1st of October and commemorates the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Schools and Government Agencies are closed.

Usually, at this time of year, there is a high level of travel during this period as people return home to visit family or take international or domestic trips to enjoy the vacation period. It is generally the biggest week for tourism in the People's Republic of China. 

Given the influx in the movement of people, in order to minimize the potential risk of COVID outbreaks, some provincial and municipal governments have suggested that citizens limit cross-province or cross-city movements. Passengers traveling between Sep 10 to Oct 31 will have to undergo mandatory nucleic acid tests within 48 hours to travel across different provincial regions via air, rail, road, and marine mode of transport.

Impact on shipping and air freight cargo

As with the Chinese New Year festivities, Golden Week in the People's Republic of China can also impact your shipments in October. As the majority of businesses and factories are closed or operate with minimal staffing levels, production does slow down.

Blank sailings are frequently announced by the shipping lines due to the reduction in capacity needed during this time. Adjusted sailings are announced before and after the week-long holiday.

For air freight shipments it is advisable to ensure arrival dates do not fall during the holiday period so as to avoid additional storage charges that could be incurred due to delays.