Just as the UK is getting back into a routine following the summer holidays and the kids going back to school, China is preparing for Golden Week – a week-long holiday that coincides with Chinese National Day to commemorate the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

How does Chinese Golden Week affect freight movement and importing?

During Golden Week, China comes to a standstill with most businesses closed. For importing, this means potential delays to your supply chain so being aware of it and planning to mitigate any problems is essential.

Chinese suppliers will shut down for the week, so are generally out of contact for the duration. There are fewer cargo flights operating, and the ports will operate with skeleton crews. This means reduced sailings to ensure ships don’t sail under capacity. Carriers can reduce their sailings by as much as 40% which means little product gets in or out of China during this time.

Resulting in large backlogs of orders and freight tends to pile up in the days before and after the holiday (especially as retailers plan for Amazon’s Black Friday and Christmas) which can leave importers fighting for space and rates at a premium.

If you’ve been caught out, please contact us to see how our team can help.

Chinese Golden Week is celebrated from the 1st October – 7th October. The 1st October is a day to commemorate the founding of People’s Republic of China in 1949. The Golden Week is celebrated in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

The reason this week is called the Golden Week is because it is seen as the biggest week for tourism in China, when people have a week off to reunite with families and take trips. The Chinese government made the decision to have Golden Week to encourage domestic tourism, improve the national standard of living and enable families to travel long distances to visit each other. China normally sees 480 million people travelling during this time.

Although Golden Week finishes on the 7th, the effects will likely remain until the 10th October due to the volume of supply chain disruption.

The best thing you can do if you need to import goods from China in the run up to, during or after Golden Week, is to speak to one of our freight team managers as soon as possible to discuss your options and get your cargo space secured. +44 (0)1622 237979 sales@tps-global.com

Golden Week always happens on the same dates each year, so we recommend marking the dates now for next year and plan ahead to avoid any time-critical shipments during this time.