Major Holidays and Festivals in China
| Major Holidays | Date |
|---|---|
| New Year | January 1st |
| Spring Festival (The Chinese New Year) | Normally in late January or early February |
| The International Women Day | March 8th |
| The Labor Day | May 1st |
| The Chinese Youths’ Day | May 4th |
| The International Children’s Day | June 1st |
| The Birthday of the CCP | July 1st |
| The Birthday of the People’s Liberation Army | August 1st |
| The National Day | October 1st |
Major Festivals
| Date/Place/Activities | |
|---|---|
| Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) | Date: The first day of the year in the lunar calendar. This is usually in late January or early February.Place: NationwideActivities: Fireworks display, visiting and greeting family and friends, Yang Ge dancing, lion and dragon dancing, temple fairs, and many other celebrations of Chinese folklore. |
| Lantern Festival | Date: 15th of the first lunar monthPlace: NationwideActivities: Lantern expositions, garden parties, fireworks displays, and folk dances |
| Qingming (Pure Brightness) Festival | Date: 12th of the 3rd lunar month, usually around April 4th or 5th.Place: NationwideActivities: Cleaning ancestors’ graves, holding memorial ceremonies, the making of offerings to pay respects to the dead, a spring family outing, and flying kites. Offerings to the dead, which include the burning of ceremonial paper money, are both to honor ancestors and to pray for a year of good luck |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Date: 5th day of the 5th lunar monthPlace: NationwideActivities: Dragon Boat races and eating of Zongzi (pyramid-shaped rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves). |
| Mid-Autumn Festival (the Moon Festival) | Date: 15th day of the 8th lunar month.Place: NationwideActivities: Dragon boat racing, enjoying the moonlight, and eating moon cakes |
Weights and Measures
Both the local and international standards for weights and measures are used in China. Below is a conversion chart between the metric system, the Chinese system and the imperial system:
| Metric | Chinese | Imperial | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meter | Centimeter | Li | Chi | Mile | Feet | Inch |
| 1 | 100 | 0.002 | 3 | 0.0006213712 | 3.2808 | 39.37 |
| 500 | 50000 | 1 | 1500 | 0.3106856 | 1640.42 | 19685.04 |
| 1609.344 | 160934.4 | 3.21 | 4828.032 | 1 | 5280 | 63360 |
| 0.33 | 33 | 0.00066 | 1 | 0.0002026515 | 1.08 | 12.96 |
| 0.305 | 30.5 | 0.00061 | 0.914 | 0.0001893939 | 1 | 12 |
Unit of Weight
| Metric | Chinese | Imperial | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kg | Jin | Liang | Pound |
| 1 | 2 | 20 | 2.205 pound |
| 0.5 | 1 | 10 | 1.102 pound |
| 0.454 | 0.907 | 9.07 | 1 pound |
Square Measure
| Metric | Chinese | Imperial | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hectare | Sq meter | Mu | Acre | Sq yard | Sq feet |
| 0.0001 | 1 | 0.001493 | 0.0002471044 | 1.196 | 10.7639 |
| 0.067 | 670 | 1 | 0.1655599 | 801.3133 | 7211.82 |
| 1 | 10000 | 15 | 2.471 | 11959.9 | 107639.1 |
| 0.405 | 4046.873 | 6.070 | 1 | 4840 | 43560.17 |
Measure of Capacity
| Metric | Chinese | Imperial | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litre | Cu meter | Sheng | Gallon |
| 1 | 0.001 | 1 | 0.2199692 |
| 4.546 | 0.004546 | 4.546 | 1 |
| 1000 | 1 | 1000 | 219.9692 |
Internet Resources
China Maps
offers city, province, and regional maps of principal areas along with local hotel information.
www.maps-of-china.com
World Factbook:
China gives brief overview of China’s geography, government, economy, people, and more.
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html
Embassy of P. R. China to the USA
offers information on visa requirements, processing and contacts for other Chinese consulates in the USA.
www.china-embassy.org
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs
is the official website of the U.S. Department of State which contains information on how to get or renew a passport.
www.state.gov
Center for Disease Control Travelers’ Health
includes information on outbreaks, specific diseases, recommended vaccinations, and traveling with children and pets. Presented by the National Center for Infectious Diseases.
www.cdc.gov/travel
China Internet Information Center
is an authorized government portal site to China, offering news and searchable texts of government position papers as well as basic information about Chinese history, politics, economics and culture.
www.china.org.cn
People’s Republic of China Government Homepage
lists web sites of ministries, commissions, state bureaus, institutions under State Council, and more.
www1.cei.gov.cn/govinfo/english/default1e.shtml
China Daily
is the online version of China’s official English-language paper.
www.chinadaily.com.cn
China Today
provides images, maps, charts, and information about China. Categories of information include general, art and humanities, cities and provinces, culture and tradition, diplomatic missions, education and school…
www.chinatoday.com
China Site
is a directory of China and Chinese related web sites.
www.chinasite.com