Chinese National Day: History, culture and language

The 1st of October is one of the most important dates in China.  Do you know why?  It is when The People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrates its National Day.  Every year hundreds of millions of people take part in National Day celebrations so it’s important to know a little bit about it to help you communicate in Mandarin.  We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little about the history and current practices around National Day, as well as teach you some useful words.

The PRC was founded on September the 21st, 1949.  National Day however is celebrated on the 1st October.  Why the difference I hear you ask?  There was a ceremony held on October 1st 1949.  This ceremony was to celebrate the forming of the People’s Government and the date has stuck.  A total of 64 National Day Ceremonies have been held on October the 1st.

For the average person it’s a great time of year because they get three public holidays off work and a total of 7 consecutive days off to travel, relax and shop.   As I’m working in China I get the 1st to the 7th of October off.  Fantastic I hear you say but as with most public holidays in China I have to work a weekend day the week before and week after.  So my schedule looks like this:

Complicated?  If you’re working or studying in China, let us know what you think about your schedule.  If you’re not working in China would you like a schedule like this?
If you have some time off we hope you have a fantastic National Day break.  But remember to be careful with your travel as it will be busy, busy, busy.

国庆节快乐！