There’ll be a China factory shutdown in 2024, but it’s the same shutdown that happens every year.
The Chinese New Year holiday on the calendar lasts only 7 days, but the disruption it causes in manufacturing can last up to 40 days. So, when is Chinese New Year 2024?
- Chinese New Year 2024 in China will be from February 10th to February 17th
- Chinese New Year 2024 in Taiwan will be from February 8th to February 14th
If you’re planning on ordering anything for the coming months, you better place orders now and expect some delays.
Table of Contents
WHAT IS THE CHINESE NEW YEAR?
Quick answer: It’s the beginning of the new year according to the lunar calendar.
The Chinese New Year begins on the second moon after the winter solstice and ends on the full moon fifteen days later. Unlike the western new year, it doesn’t always occur on the same date, but it always takes place between January 21st and February 21st.
HOW WILL THE CHINESE NEW YEAR 2024 HOLIDAY AFFECT MANUFACTURING?
- All significant businesses in China and Taiwan were completely shut down for at least 7 days, including all factories.
- Some factories may even shut down for up to 3 weeks because Chinese New Year will block China’s transportation systems entirely as all employees return from their factory to their hometowns up to 2,000 km away.
- All manufacturing projects will be on hold.
- Component manufacturers and distributors also take vacations.
- No manufacturing component orders ship out of China or Taiwan during the Chinese New Year.
- The information flow is cut during the Chinese New Year holiday. No one will answer phone calls or emails.
- You might experience severe production slowdowns 1 or 2 weeks before the Chinese New Year holiday because many workers leave factories early to go home—to avoid the peak time rush.
- Before the Chinese New Year holiday, you might experience an increase in quality issues. As factories and suppliers get ready for the big holiday, they rush to finish as many orders as possible before too many workers leave for the holiday and before all businesses in China and Taiwan officially close.
- After the Chinese New Year holiday, you might also experience increased quality issues. This happens because one-third of the factory workers don’t go back to their jobs. As a result, many inexperienced workers are promoted or hired. This phenomenon is not limited to assembly line workers; it can even extend to managers, critical firmware, and design engineers too.
As you can see, the Chinese New Year holiday sends the manufacturing industry into chaos.
HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS DUE TO THE CHINESE NEW YEAR?
There isn’t a magical strategy to ensure you get your orders manufactured and shipped quickly in 2024. You have to think of a long-term strategy and look for a substitute country to manufacture electronics if necessary.
Here is an article that you may find interesting: alternatives to China Manufacturing.
The best thing to do is to place orders as early as possible and have all components, materials, and/or finished products in your warehouses.
WHY DOES THE CHINESE NEW YEAR CAUSE SO MANY ISSUES IN MANUFACTURING?
If you wonder why the government and companies allow this disruption to occur every year, you have to understand that this is the most important holiday for Chinese people. So they’re all on board with the celebration.
The celebration is mainly about visiting family and friends, having special meals, watching fireworks, and giving and receiving gifts.
It’s also when people forget about work and studies and enjoy themselves and relax.
Be sure that no Chinese worker, plant manager, or even owner will be thinking of you and your manufacturing project during Chinese New Year celebrations.
Many workers will leave early and come back later
As we already mentioned, the Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese; this is the time for families to come together.
It doesn’t matter how far away one’s family is; be sure that factory workers will return home to spend the Chinese New Year holiday with relatives and friends.
For many factory workers, this is the only time they can see their parents and sometimes even their children, who are usually raised by relatives in the countryside.
Most factory workers in mainland China are immigrants from remote and rural areas of this vast country. Going back home by public transportation (bus and train) may take 4 to 5 days in any direction.
The long journey many factory workers have to make before reaching their hometowns causes many of them to leave before the holiday officially begins.
This is possible thanks to a practice where factories allow their workers to accrue overtime throughout the year and take it as paid time off at year’s end.
With so many workers being absent from 1 to 2 weeks before a holiday week, it is inevitable for production to slow down and quality issues to increase as the factory tries to finish as many orders as possible with the few workers it has left before the holiday officially begins.
Adding to the issue of many factory workers leaving early for the holidays and therefore disrupting the manufacturing process, add the fact that many of them don’t go back to work.
The Chinese New Year has another particular impact on manufacturing.
CHINESE NEW YEAR CAUSES HIGH FACTORY WORKER TURNOVER
It’s common for factory workers in China to stay until Chinese New Year to receive their end-of-year bonus, then go home and never return to the factory.
Over a third of respondents to a Hays survey claimed their organization’s staff turnover rate was higher around the Chinese New Year period than in other months.
What is the reason behind this phenomenon?
During the holiday, workers spend time with their family and friends; during these encounters, they share information on various wage levels and new employment opportunities.
If they’re sure they’ll be able to find a higher-paying job somewhere else, they surely won’t hesitate to ghost their current employer.
As many people leave their job, it is also easy to find a new job, so this is the time for a big game of musical chairs.
Many workers make their return to work depend upon a pay raise.
Workers know that the Chinese New Year holiday is a sensitive time for the factory as orders keep coming in and customers’ pressure increases; they feel they’re in control.
Factory workers will inform the owners that they won’t return to work for the same salary; if the factory owners refuse the salary increase, they’ll have to invest a lot of time finding a new skilled worker.
This is a significant factor in production output declines and labor shortages a week or two after the holiday is over.
Getting a new factory worker up to speed should be pretty quick, but the higher the responsibilities, the more difficult it becomes.
If your account manager leaves, you may need to explain many details all over again. If a critical firmware engineer leaves, it could be so bad that no one else understands his firmware code. Not everybody follows Titoma’s good practices for embedded firmware design.
CHINESE NEW YEAR 2024 CALENDAR AND TIMELINE
Chinese New Year 2024 celebrations will commence on February 9, 2024 (Chinese New Year’s Eve), leading to a gradual slowdown or cessation of production by suppliers a week prior.
The following is the timeline and calendar for the Chinese New Year 2024 holiday in China:
- End of January: Suppliers will begin the production slowdown.
- Early February: Employees begin leaving the factories.
- February 9: All employees will have left the factory (Chinese New Year’s Eve).
- February 10: Chinese New Year.
- Mid-to-end of February: Employees will begin returning to work after the holiday.
- February 29: The majority of employees will have returned.
- March 8: Operations will be almost back to normal.
The highlight of Chinese New Year 2024 holiday in China is that it excludes New Year’s Eve (February 9th). China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced that the highlight of the 2024 holiday schedule is the longest-ever Spring Festival holiday, potentially extending to nine days. This duration includes the official eight days from the first day of the Chinese New Year to the eighth day, with the possibility of adding a ninth day by using paid leave on February 9th, Chinese New Year’s Eve.
2024 Chinese New Year Calendar (China)
China and Taiwan have slight differences in their Chinese New Year holiday schedules and makeup days.
Below is the timeline for the Chinese New Year holiday in Taiwan:
- End of January: Suppliers will begin the production slowdown.
- Early February: Employees begin leaving the factories.
- February 8: All employees will have left the factory (first day of the Chinese New Year holiday).
- February 10: Chinese New Year.
- Mid-to-end of February (February 15): Employees will begin returning to work after the holiday.
- February 29: The majority of employees will have returned.
- March 8: Operations will be almost back to normal.
2024 Chinese New Year Calendar (Taiwan)
CONCLUSION
Chinese New Year is a unique event that puts manufacturing and supply across China and Taiwan at a standstill for at least 7 days.
In Taiwan, this is generally the extent of the delay, but in China, the effects tend to be much more severe, and you should count on 2 to 3 weeks of disruption.
Factories and their providers experience a decline in output and an increase in quality issues weeks before and after the official time of the holiday.
Because of the number of factory workers that leave early for the holidays, factories rush to finish all orders at least 10 days before the beginning of the holiday; at the same time, customers that are aware of the proximity of Chinese New Year increase their order volumes.
In many instances, the tremendous pressure imposed by the increase in demand, trying to get all orders done as soon as possible, and having many workers leave results in turning a blind eye to quality control and compliance with order specifications.
So: make sure you place your manufacturing orders well ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday!
CHINA PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2024
The State Council released the official China Public Holidays 2024 schedule through its Circular of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Public Holidays in 2024. Below is the list of China public holidays 2024, including the adjusted working days:
New Year: January 1, 2024
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): February 10 to February 17, 2024
- Employers are encouraged to arrange paid leave for employees on Chinese New Year’s Eve (February 9)
- Adjusted working days: February 4, 2024 (Sunday) and February 18, 2024 (Sunday)
Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qing Ming Festival): April 4 to April 6, 2024
- Adjusted working days: April 7, 2024 (Sunday)
Labor Day: May 1 to May 5, 2024
- Adjusted working days: April 28, 2024 (Sunday) and May 11, 2024 (Saturday)
Dragon Boat Festival: June 10, 2024
Mid-Autumn Festival: September 15 to September 17, 2024
- Adjusted working days: September 14, 2024 (Saturday)
Golden Week/National Day: October 1 to October 7, 2024
- Adjusted working days: September 29, 2024 (Sunday) and October 12, 2024 (Saturday)
China public holidays 2024
TAIWAN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2024
Taiwan has different public holidays compared to China. One key difference is that Taiwan doesn’t have Golden Week. Here’s a list of Taiwan public holidays 2024, along with the adjusted working days:
New Year: January 1, 2024
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): February 8 to February 14, 2024
- Adjusted working day: February 17, 2024
Peace Memorial Day: February 28, 2024
Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qing Ming Festival): April 4 to April 5, 2024
Dragon boat Festival: April 10, 2024
Mid-Autumn Festival: September 17, 2024
National Day: October 10, 2024
Taiwan public holidays 2024
FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
People do not work during the Chinese New Year. All across China and Taiwan, most people take a whole week off; some people might take even longer vacations if their employers allow so.
Be certain that during the official dates of the Chinese New Year holidays, 99% of all companies stop working. Cities like Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Taipei have a deserted city feel as most residents travel to their hometowns to meet their relatives for Chinese New Year.
Some convenience stores, such as 7-11, or fast food chains, such as KFC, along with some night market stalls, can still be found open during the holidays.
Factories in China and Taiwan close for at least 7 days.
Depending on the Chinese New Year date on the lunar new calendar, workers could easily extend their holidays for more than 7 days, as it was the case in 2023 in Taiwan.
In 2024, in Taiwan, the official holiday took place from February 8th to February 14th, having only 2 working days after the holiday ends (February 15th-16th), allowing many workers to easily have a 9 day holiday.
Be aware that slowdowns in production will begin from 1 to 2 weeks ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday, and will remain 1 to 2 weeks after it.
China celebrates Chinese New Year by having a long holiday (from 7 to 10 days), most people either go back to their hometowns to spend time with their relatives and catch up with childhood friends or travel abroad.
Red lanterns and red decorations take over temples, homes, and building’s gates.
The festivities are largely marked by large feasts, firecrackers, fireworks, and red envelopes. Older members of the family usually give the youngest a red envelope with money inside.
Here’s an interesting tradition: on the fifth day of the LunarNew Year, the whole family gathers to make dumplings; inside one of them they put a coin; whoever gets the dumpling with the coin during dinner is believed to have a very lucky New Year.
Alcohol
Tobacco
Tea
Fruits (Oranges and apples are preferred)
Hats, gloves, and scarf
Hampers
Red is the color to go for. Make sure your gift is wrapped in red paper or placed in a red box with a red ribbon. Avoid black or white for wrapping; in China, both colors are related to funerals.
The difference between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year is none.
In China, the new year is celebrated according to the Chinese lunar calendar, and because of this, many westerners refer to it as the Lunar New Year celebration.
Chinese New Year is another term mostly used in the western world to refer to the new year celebration that takes place in China and Taiwan. Most Chinese and Taiwanese simply refer to the event as a “spring festival.”
Yes, Chinese New Year will slow down manufacturing all across China.
You can expect disruption in manufacturing to happen as early as two weeks before the official date of Chinese New Year each year.
Slow down in manufacturing will most likely prevail for one or two weeks after the Chinese New Year.
In China, factories and offices will shut down from February 10th to February 17th, 2024
In Taiwan, all offices and factories will shutdown from February 8th to February 14th, 2024
In Taiwan -just like in China- Chinese New Year is celebrated, and most offices and factories close for the holidays, putting businesses on hold for at least 7 days, but unlike China, don’t expect disruption in manufacturing as early as 2 weeks before the holiday or 2 weeks after it’s over.
Taiwan is a small island of only 36,193 km2, this means that factory and office workers don’t have to travel great distances to visit their families during Chinese New Year, therefore there’s no need to leave work 1 or 2 weeks earlier.
Chinese New Year factory shutdowns, officially, take place during the last week of January or the first week of February.
In 2024 the official date for Chinese New Year’s closings in China is February 10th to February 17th.
In Taiwan, Chinese New Year’s closings during 2024 will take place from February 8th to February 14th.
The official dates for Chinese New Year in China are February 10th to February 17th. For Taiwan the official dates are from February 8th to February 14th
Yes, the Chinese New Year factory shutdown doesn’t just take place in China. Taiwan also takes part of the holidays, and factories will shutdown for at least 7 days.
Lunar new year and Chinese New Year are 2 terms often times used interchangeably by westerners to refer to the long holidays celebrated mostly in China and Taiwan, which marks the beginning of the New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
Technically speaking, there are different lunar new years throughout the year as different cultures come up with their own version of a lunar calendar.
The manufacturing shutdown during Lunar New Year 2024 will last from February 10th to February 17th in China. In Taiwan, the manufacturing shutdown will last from February 8th to February 14th. Disruption in manufacturing is expected to take place 1-2 weeks before the official date and remain ongoing 1-2 weeks after the end of the holiday.
