Business Hours in China

Want to go smoothly with every stop and place in China? The following we have listed four types of opening hours and business hours for your reference, they are including Tourist Spots and Museums, Transport Stations, Banks and Post Offices, Governments and Companies.

Opening Hours of Tourist Attractions/Museums

Opening hours of tourist spots are slightly different between high season and low season. We’ve concluded the opening hours of historical sites, national parks, rivers and mountains, museums for your reference.

The historical sites and temples are usually open at 08:00, 08:30 and close after 16:00. Check some important ones to have a look.

• Forbidden City: Apr to Oct: 8:30~17:00; Nov to Mar: 8:30~16:30. Open on Monday morning during 08:30-12:00, while during national holidays and July-August it opens all the day.
• Summer Palace: Apr to Oct: 08:30~17:00; Nov to Mar: 09:00~16:00.
• Temple of Heaven: Apr to Oct: 08:00~17:30 / Nov to Mar: 08:00~17:00.
• Terracotta Warriors: Mar. 16 to Nov. 15: 8:30~18:00; Nov. 16 to Mar. 15: 8:30~17:30.
• Potala Palace: 9:30~15:00 before May 1, 9:00~15:30 after May 1, interior chapels close at 16:30.

The national parks and mountains are open very early and close late. Check some important ones to have a look.

• Huangshan Mountain: Monday to Friday & Sunday: 06:30~16:30; Saturday: 06:00~16:30.
• Zhangjiajie National Park: 07:00~18:00.
• Jiuzhaigou Valley: Apr. 01 to Nov.15: 06:30~18:00; Nov.16 to Mar.31:06:30~17:00.
• Mount Emeishan: 06:00~18:00.
• Pudacuo National Park: Apr to Oct: 08:00~17:00; Nov to Mar: 08:00~16:00

The museums in China are usually open at 09:00 and close at 17:00. Most of the museums will close on Mondays except for national holidays. If you want to visit the museums in China, please arrange your time properly and if there are any questions, please feel free to contact our professional travel consultants.

• Shaanxi Historical Museum: Mar.16 to Nov.14: 08:30~18:30 (no entry after 16:30); Nov.15 to Mar.15: 09:00~17:30 (no entry after 16:00). Expect for national holidays, it is closed on Mondays.
• Shanghai Museum: open for the whole year, available at 09:00~17:00 and no entry after 16:00.
• Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum: 09:00~17:00, no entry after 16:00. Expect for national holidays, it is closed on Mondays.
• Hunan Provincial Museum: 09:00~17:00, no entry after 16:15. Expect for national holidays, it is closed on Mondays. (It is still under reconstruction and close yet.)
• Hubei Provincial Museum: 09:00~17:00, no entry after 15:00. Expect for national holidays, it is closed on Mondays.

Opening Hours of Airport, Railway Station and more

The airports in China are open all day and night, but some counters inside them may be running service during 05:30~22:00 and some close earlier at 20:30. The airport shuttles are running service during 06:00~22:00 (The shuttle available time of different cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin and Chengdu may change slightly. You can inquire for the detailed line of detailed cities from our travel consultants).

Railway stations are open round the clock as trains run all day. The ticket window of railway station are open in 24 hours that travelers can purchase, change and cancel tickets at any time (It’s better to buy your tickets in advance). But the service counters are closed at 20:00-23:00.

The public buses in China’s cities are usually running service at 06:00~23:00, but the big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have overnight buses. Taxies are available 24 hours, but it is hard to take one at peak hours (07:00 – 09:00 and 17:00 – 19:00).

Business Hours of Banks, Hospitals and Post Offices

The opening hours are slightly different for different banks. The Bank of China (BOC), Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China Construction Bank (CCB) and Bank of Communications (BOCOM) are usually open during 08:30~17:00 from Mondays to Fridays and 09:00~16:30 for weekends. ATMs are available at 24 hours.

The hospitals and the first-aid centers in China are usually served for 24 hours. The post offices are usually open during 08:00~17:00. Shops, department stores and supermarkets are open from 08:30-09:30 to 21:30, including public holidays. Restaurants and bars are always open from around 10:00 to the late night, sometimes even into the small hours or for all night. 

Business Hours of Governments & Companies

Chinese governments and public institutions work at 08:30~12:00 and 15:00~18:00 in summer time and 09:00~12:00 and 14:30~17:30 in winter time. It stipulates a five-day workweek (from Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off) with no more than 8 hours a day and no more than 44 hours a week. The working hours of Chinese companies may be from 08:00 to 17:00, 08:30 to 17:30 or 09:00 to 18:00, with 1-1.5 hours’ siesta. They do not work at Saturdays and Sundays.

Besides the Saturdays and Sundays off, there are some national holidays that Chinese can enjoy, including New Year’s Day (Jan.1 to Jan.3), Chinese Spring Festival (from New Year’s Eve to the 7th day of the first lunar month), Qingming Festival (April 4 to April 6), Labor Day (May 1 to May 3), Dragon Boat Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month), and Chinese National Day (Oct.1 to Oct.7). During the national holidays, the tourist spots will increase Chinese visitors that travelers may try to avoid Golden Week Holiday to visit China.