China’s Golden Week holiday kicks off next week, beginning with the country’s official National Day on Wednesday, October 1st.

The week-long autumn holiday is one of only two periods each year when Chinese exports effectively grind to a halt – the other being Chinese New Year.

During Golden Week, most factories, businesses, government offices, and logistics providers close their doors, leading to an almost complete standstill in exports. As a result, global supply chains typically experience a two to three week lag in export production.

Logistics disruptions during Golden Week are significant. Transport activity across the country drops sharply, and while ocean carriers adjust their schedules in anticipation, the impact is unavoidable.

Ocean freight carriers have already blanked around 10–15% of sailings between now and the end of October to account for reduced cargo flows. This means that some FCL (Full Container Load) bookings may not align with their originally scheduled vessels.

The holiday also affects LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments, as container loading is paused during the break.

If customers are concerned about urgent or time-sensitive shipments moving during this period, then please don’t hesitate to contact our team for further advice.