The government stipulates five working days per week, from Monday to Friday. Working hours are eight hours a day, normally from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. Almost all the government offices, institutions, schools and other official units do not work on Saturday and Sunday.

Hospitals, postal offices, banks, and monuments and museums usually are open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The emergency clinic is open when the hospital is closed. Shops usually remain open from 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday, including public holidays. Restaurants and bars stay open later at night. It is possible to eat late at 22:00. Some open-air restaurants even stay open into the small hours.

Times are approximate and subject to local variations. In western China such as Xinjiang, offices often open later due to the time difference with the Beijing time.