Navigating China’s October Golden Week Holiday

Kristina Coluccia
Sep 26
3 min read

Every October, businesses across China prepare for Golden Week, a major national holiday that marks the country’s National Day celebrations. For foreign investors, multinational enterprises, and companies employing staff in China, understanding how Golden Week impacts operations, payroll, and compliance is essential.

This article outlines the 2025 holiday schedule, explains employee pay rules, and provides practical insights to help employers manage this key holiday period effectively.

What is Golden Week?

Golden Week is a 7-day public holiday that celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. It is one of the two longest annual holidays in China (the other being the Chinese New Year / Spring Festival). Millions of people travel across the country during this time, making it one of the world’s largest annual human migrations.

For businesses, Golden Week means temporary disruption to operations, government services, logistics, and supply chains, as many offices, factories, and authorities close for the full week.

2025 Golden Week Holiday Schedule

The official Golden Week holiday in 2025 runs from:

Wednesday, October 1, 2025 to Tuesday, October 7, 2025

To create the 7-day break, China follows its well-known “holiday adjustment system,” where weekends are shifted to working days. This means employees will typically:

Work on Sunday, September 28, 2025
Work on Saturday, October 11, 2025

This adjusted schedule ensures a continuous 7-day holiday but requires advance planning by employers and employees alike.

Pay Rules During Golden Week

China’s Labour Law and related regulations govern employee entitlements during statutory holidays such as Golden Week. Employers must follow these pay rules:

Statutory Holiday Pay (October 1–3, 2025):
- Employees required to work on these three official National Day holidays must be paid no less than 300% of their regular daily wage.
- Employers cannot substitute paid time off in lieu of the triple pay requirement.
Adjusted Rest Days (October 4–7, 2025):
- These are not statutory holidays but regular rest days created through schedule adjustments.
- If employees work during these days, employers must provide either compensatory time off or pay no less than 200% of the regular daily wage.
Standard Rest Days (September 28 and October 11, 2025):
- Although these are normally weekends, they are adjusted to become working days. Employees are expected to work at their normal pay rate.

Employers should communicate clearly with their teams in advance to avoid misunderstandings about work arrangements and holiday pay.

Business Considerations During Golden Week

Supply Chain Disruptions: Factories, ports, and logistics providers often reduce or suspend operations during Golden Week. Plan shipments and deliveries well in advance.
Government Services: Many administrative offices, including tax and licensing bureaus, close for the full week. Critical filings or applications should be submitted ahead of time.
Employee Management: Given the scale of travel during Golden Week, late returns from holiday are common. Employers should set clear expectations around work resumption dates.
Overtime Budgeting: Businesses operating through Golden Week should budget for higher labour costs due to triple-time pay obligations.

How Woodburn Can Support

Golden Week is more than just a holiday — it is a compliance checkpoint for businesses operating in China. From labour law compliance to payroll accuracy and operational planning, ensuring your company is prepared will save both time and cost.

At Woodburn, we guide foreign investors and enterprises through the complexities of China’s employment and compliance landscape. Whether you need support with HR policies, payroll management, or government liaison, our team provides expert solutions tailored to your business.

Woodburn Accountants & Advisors is one of China and Hong Kong’s most trusted business setup advisory firms.

Woodburn Accountants & Advisors is specialized in inbound investment to China and Hong Kong. We focus on eliminating the complexities of corporate services and compliance administration. We help clients with services ranging from trademark registration and company incorporation to the full outsourcing solution for accounting, tax, and human resource services. Our advisory services can be tailor-made based on the companies’ objectives, goals and needs which vary depending on the stage they are at on their journey.