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The normal working week in China is Monday to Friday. Normal working hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. Chinese employees work 8 hours per day, to a maximum of 44 hours per week, with a minimum of one day off per week

China has three major annual holidays:

• National Day, on October 1
• Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), late January to mid February
• Labour Day (May Day), May 1

These aren't one-day holidays: workers get at least a week or two off for Chinese New Year and one week is quite common for both National Day and Labour Day. Students generally get at least four weeks off at Spring Festival and a 9-day (two weekends framing a work week) break for the other two holidays.

The Contract

When accepting an offer of a job in China, you should receive a formal contract from your employer, setting out the conditions of employment, salary to be paid and the benefits that the employee can expect to receive in addition to his or her salary, such as contribution towards accommodation, car or childrens' education. The contract of employment should also set out the conditions for termination of the contract by either party (the employer or the employee). Contracts may have a fixed end date, or may be left open ended. If the end date is specified, the contract can be renewed upon expiry with the agreement of both parties.

The contract will be issued in both English and Chinese. In the event of an employment dispute, the Chinese contract of employment will be used as the point of reference.