Do Chinese holidays influence the production of goods in China

Chinese people are very hardworking. They are working the whole year round and have some time to rest only at weekends or on some holidays. Like in every country, there are public holidays in China when most of the companies and factories don’t work. There are not many of them comparing to other countries but it’s better to keep them in mind when planning a trip to China for furniture sourcing.

All the traditional holidays follow the Chinese lunar calendar. That’s why the dates are different every year by the Gregorian calendar. Here are all the public holidays of 2020:

The main holidays for Chinese people are the Spring Festival and National Day. So they have days-off for the whole week which is also called a “golden week”.

When do Chinese markets and showrooms work

Markets and showrooms never close (even at weekends!) except for the Spring Festival. They usually don’t work for 2 weeks: one week before Chinese New Year and one week after. It is so long because it’s the most important holiday for the Chinese that can be compared with Christmas in Europe and America. All Chinese people traditionally go back to hometowns to reunite with their families. It is sometimes the only chance for some workers to see families. Not all the showrooms open and close at the same time. Some go on holidays a bit earlier, some come back to work later. It depends on showrooms and factories management. On other holidays or at weekends markets and showrooms work as usual.

When do Chinese factories work

Chinese factories don’t work on public holidays. Moreover, they can be closed even for 2 weeks during the “golden week” in October, and for a month on Spring Festival (2 weeks before and 2 weeks after it). All the factory workers go back home and production stops, so if you order goods somewhere around this time, the production will start only after the holidays.

How do logistics companies work in China during the holidays

Logistics companies are closed only for 7 days on Chinese New Year. If you want to ship the goods before it, then a container should be loaded at least in a week before the official date of Spring Festival. Take into account that the demand for containers rises just before the holiday, so it’s hard to order and get a container on the same day. Better take care of it a week before the actual loading of the container.

Customs, as well as logistics companies, come back to work a week after Chinese New Year. However, people who are responsible for transportation and loading are often from other cities, so they come back to work much later. The actual loading time depends on them as well.

How does it influence production and shipping

When placing an order in China, it is necessary to consider long holidays and duration of production. Some goods like tiles, porcelain tiles may be on stock, so there is no need to worry about the delivery. Whereas the production of furniture, kitchens, wardrobes can take from 20 to 60 days. If you come to China at the end of the year and plan to ship the goods before the Chinese New Year, we recommend placing an order at least a month and a half before the holiday date. As a rule, it’s usually the end of November or beginning of December. Starting from the middle of December suppliers don’t accept the orders with the shipment before the Spring Festival. If you order later then the production will start only after holidays - in the mid of February. Besides, the end of the year is the busiest time for Chinese manufacturers.

Just imagine, you come to China at the beginning of October. The weather is perfect, summer heat is gone, streets are decorated for the celebration of the National Day.

However, all the furniture, lighting, finish materials markets and showrooms are open. You have found everything you needed and paid the deposits. The production of upholstered furniture takes about 60 days. So during this period of time, other items have passed quality control and are ready for shipping. You have transferred the whole amount of money in advance. It usually takes about 7-10 day for quality control, then all the items are collected in a warehouse (1 day) and loaded into container (1 day). After this, the container is off to the port and shipped. Time of shipping depends on the destination. For example, the time of delivery to Mumbai is 15-20 days, to Hamburg - 45-50 days. So in total from the moment of purchase to receiving furniture will take about 84-89 days (≈3 months), 114-119 days (≈4 months) respectively (if the items pass quality control successfully).

It can be completely different if you come at the beginning of January. Most factories will no longer accept orders with a shipment of goods before the Chinese New Year. Even if some items are ready, you will still have to wait for the rest to load the container. The time of production will include an additional 30 days when factories don’t work. So the entire shipment time will increase by a month.

To avoid the increase in production time and delay of the shipment, you can always consult with us. We will advise you what time it is better to come to China. You can book furniture shopping dates simply by writing to our manager or by leaving the request here.