It’s only about a month away till Chinese New Year(which is February 1), but your supplier or manufacturer might start taking their “Spring Break” as early as mid-January, as tens of millions of workers have to travel back home, regardless of their location, for the holiday most cherished in the Chinese culture, leading to the once-in-a-year biggest human migration in the world called Chunyun.
How much do you know about CNY? What preparations do you need to be taking during this time? This blog will give you a few tips of what you should look out for.
Overview of Chinese New Year
As aforementioned, It is traditionally the case that Chinese workers will leave work and travel back home to celebrate the holiday. Although CNY only officially lasts for one week, offices and factories close roughly 10-15 days before CNY begins and can last for roughly 3 working weeks.
It is also symbolized by one of 12 zodiacs every year in turn. For 2022, it’ll be the year of the tiger. It is important to bear in mind that the exact date of Chinese New Year doesn’t always fall on February 1, as it goes by the traditional lunar calendar. Always be aware of when Chinese New Year will occur each year and plan accordingly.
Take home points
-Chinese New Year 2022 officially begins February 1.
-Your orders need to be shipped way before CNY as shipping and delivery stop during this period as well as global supply chain disruption.
-Forecast the services and goods you will require for the first few months of 2022 based on the sales numbers last year because CNY leaves lasting effects on productivity, especially when the Great Resignation has become a norm and will usually follow suit after CNY.
-All banks in Mainland China and Hong Kong close during the days surrounding CNY. Communicate with the C2W team to sort out the best way to deal with transactions.
Other things to consider
Inspection, monitor and communication
Although we are already used to working from home and long-distance working relationships, problems can still arise due to insufficient communication with your supplier as work schedules vary from usual. CNY also causes a lot of pressure on factories and workers as many are in a rush to get their orders in. The increased demand can result in a fall in quality as some facilities are less equipped to deal with such demands.
If you are not working with C2W or a trusted manufacturer, then we strongly advise increasing inspections, monitoring and communications during the months leading up to and after CNY.
Red Envelopes (Hongbao, 红包)
Giving red envelopes (aka hongbao, 红包 in Chinese) is the local practice in China. They are bonuses given to employees in January around CNY. Get in touch with us to discuss this further.
Other holidays
There are a number of other holidays in China that effect business. Make sure you are also aware of these. One key example of this is the National Holiday, October 1st – October 7th.
How can China 2 West help?
-The diversity of our team and the wide range of languages spoken within our offices can remove any confused and rushed communications with your service providers.
-Being based in China for the past 16 years means we can offer you the advantage of no time zone differences. We can work with your Chinese providers directly and avoid and delays to productivity.
