National Day: Chinese celebrate October 1st as National Day in honor of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

Other national holidays: Spring Festival (the celebration of Chinese New Year, generally between the last 10-day period of January and mid-February) and International Labor Day (May 1).

Major holidays in China are occasions for family reunions and traveling. Starting in October 1999, China's three official holidays became "Golden Weeks" each with seven days vacation made possible by working four extra days before the commencement of the holiday and afterwards.(China.org.cn)

Traditional festivals:

January 5-February 5

Ice-and-Snow Festival--An annual ice-and-snow festival in China, this wintertime spectacle offers a variety of entertainment activities, including an ice sculpture contest, ice lanterns, skiing, ice skating, outdoor swimming, hunting, dog-sled rides and art performances. There are about 1,300 ice sculptures on show and 36 teams from 18 countries participating in the contest. Venue: Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.

January 6-20

Rimed (Frosted) Landscape Festival--This festival gives tourists a chance to appreciate the unique beauty of rimed trees, ice lanterns, ice sculptures, fireworks, fashion shows and ice sports in Northeast China. Venue: Jilin, Jilin Province.

January 15

Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival--About 80 groups of ice lanterns, ice-and-snow sculptures and ice slides spread over 300 metres of the gorge. Colored lighting adds fun to evening visitors. The festival is held annually. Venue: Yanqing County, Beijing.

February

Spring Festival Flower Fair--Sightseeing on a 5-km-long stretch of streets in Guangzhou, complete with flower markets, goldfish, miniature landscapes and handicrafts. It takes place in China's southern city of Guangzhou, one of the warmest vastness and diversity of China. At a time when, China's northern climate is enough to freeze your nose off (about£­25 degrees Centigrade in Harbin), the southern city of Guangzhou has a sea of flowers filling its streets and windows. Venue: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.