Diwali 2026 in China: Dates, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat and Where to Celebrate

In China, the main night of Diwali 2026 is Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November, and in Beijing the most auspicious window for the puja is 5:25 PM – 7:14 PM (Vrishabha Kaal). The festival opens with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi also falls on Sunday 8 November, Govardhan Puja is on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj closes the five days on Wednesday 11 November. The dates are the same in every Chinese city we checked, but because the whole country keeps one clock, the muhurat comes more than an hour later in the south-west than in the east.

Editor's note (1 November 2026): HinduTone calculated these local dates from Drik Panchang tithi times using Drik Panchang's own rules for each festival, and checked the method against Drik's published dates for 15 countries. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat follows the Drik method: the period when Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna, a fixed sign, is rising within Pradosh Kaal. Times are China Standard Time (UTC+8) except Ürümqi, which is shown in Xinjiang Time (UTC+6). We do not list event schedules, because embassies, consulates and community groups set their own programmes each year.

Diwali 2026 dates in China

Naraka Chaturdashi and Lakshmi Puja fall on the same Sunday this year. That happens because Chaturdashi ends at 11:27 AM IST on 8 November and Amavasya begins straight after, so the pre-dawn bath belongs to Sunday morning and the Lakshmi Puja to Sunday evening. Saturday 7 November has no festival of its own here, and Monday 9 November, when Amavasya ends in the afternoon, is a quiet day before Govardhan Puja.

Diwali 2026 city-by-city timings in China

China keeps a single time zone from the Pacific coast to the Tibetan plateau, so sunset and the muhurat move a long way across the country even though the clock does not. The table covers the nine cities in our data.

Ürümqi times are given in Xinjiang Time, two hours behind Beijing Time. Many people and offices in Xinjiang keep Beijing Time instead, so check which clock you are reading before you start the puja. If you live in a city not listed, use the nearest one; the muhurat shifts by only a few minutes between neighbouring cities.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat explained

Lakshmi Puja is performed on the evening when Amavasya, the new-moon tithi of Kartik (Ashwin in the amanta calendar), is present during Pradosh Kaal. Globally, Amavasya runs from 11:27 AM IST on 8 November to 12:31 PM IST on 9 November. In Beijing Time that is Sun 8 Nov, 1:57 PM → Mon 9 Nov, 3:01 PM, so it covers the Sunday evening but has ended long before sunset on Monday.

Pradosh Kaal is the period of about 2 hours 45 minutes that begins at sunset. In Beijing, sunset on 8 November is at 5:05 PM and Pradosh Kaal runs from 5:05 PM to 7:50 PM. Any part of this window is suitable for Lakshmi Puja.

Vrishabha Kaal is the time within Pradosh when Vrishabha (Taurus) is the rising sign. Vrishabha is a fixed (sthir) lagna, and tradition holds that worshipping Lakshmi in a fixed lagna helps her blessings stay in the home. In Beijing it rises from 5:25 PM to 7:14 PM, which is why that window is given as the main muhurat. Tianjin is almost identical at 5:24 PM – 7:13 PM.

Further south and west the clock times move later: Shanghai sunset is at 5:00 PM with the muhurat at 5:23 PM – 7:18 PM, Wuhan sunset is at 5:30 PM, Guangzhou sunset is at 5:45 PM and Chengdu sunset is at 6:11 PM, with the muhurat there from 6:34 PM to 8:29 PM. If you cannot manage the Vrishabha window, perform the puja at any time within your city's Pradosh Kaal.

Hindu temples in China for Diwali

This section is short because the honest answer is short. After searching official and reliable sources, we could not confirm any regularly functioning public Hindu temple in mainland China. Public religious activity is closely regulated, and Hinduism is not among the religions with officially recognised national associations, so the Indian community here mostly celebrates at home, in private gatherings and at events organised by Indian missions and community associations. We have not padded this list.

Indian missions and community groups

• Embassy of India, Beijing – has hosted Diwali functions for the community, diplomats and media in past years.
• Consulate General of India, Shanghai – its Diwali Mela has been one of its main cultural events, run as a day-long fair with food and handicrafts in 2024.
• Consulate General of India, Guangzhou – serves the Indian community in southern China, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen; check its pages and social channels for festival events.
• Indian Association of China, Shanghai – the community association that has organised a ticketed Diwali evening in Shanghai.

Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages. Such programmes typically include a lamp-lighting, a short Lakshmi-Ganesha puja or aarti, music and dance, rangoli and Indian food stalls.

Quanzhou: China's Hindu heritage

Quanzhou in Fujian province holds the most remarkable Hindu history in China. Tamil merchants trading by sea built a south Indian style Shiva temple there in the late thirteenth century, recorded in a bilingual Tamil and Chinese inscription. The temple no longer stands, but hundreds of carved stones survive. Some were reused when the main hall of Kaiyuan Temple, the city's great Buddhist temple, was rebuilt, and its pillars still show scenes of Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna and Narasimha. Others are kept in the local museum. In the village of Chedian on the city's outskirts, reporters in 2013 described a shrine whose goddess image scholars trace to south India, though many villagers venerate her as Guanyin. These are heritage sites to visit with respect, not venues for a Diwali puja.

Nearby options

Families who want a temple Diwali sometimes travel to Hong Kong, which has several active Hindu temples and organisations. See our Diwali 2026 Hong Kong guide for dates and verified temples there. For most readers in mainland China, though, a home puja at the right muhurat is the simplest and most meaningful way to keep the festival.

How Diwali is celebrated in China

China's Indian community is small and spread across the big commercial cities. The Indian consulate in Shanghai has put the resident Indian population of eastern China at around nine thousand, and there are smaller communities in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities. Many are professionals, traders, students and their families, from every region of India, along with Nepali residents who celebrate Tihar.

Celebration is mostly private. Families clean and decorate their flats, draw rangoli at the door, light diyas or electric lights, prepare sweets and perform Lakshmi-Ganesha puja together in the evening. Friends often gather for a shared dinner, and office or student groups may hold their own get-togethers on the nearest weekend. Community and consulate events, when they happen, are often held on a weekend near Diwali rather than on the night itself.

Sikh families mark Bandi Chhor Divas on the same day, remembering Guru Hargobind's release from Gwalior Fort, and Jain families observe Diwali as the day of Mahavira's nirvana. Both communities are small in China and mostly celebrate at home or with friends.

Finding puja items can take planning. Diyas, puja thalis, kumkum, rangoli colours and idols are not widely sold, so many families bring them back from India or order them well in advance, and use candles and LED lights as a practical alternative. Indian grocery shops in the larger cities may stock basics such as ghee, sweets and dry fruits.

Simple Lakshmi Puja at home

You do not need a priest or a temple to perform Lakshmi Puja. A simple, sincere puja at home is the heart of the festival. One common way:

1. Clean the home in the days before, and draw a rangoli at the entrance on the evening of 8 November.
2. Set up a clean low table or shelf with a red or yellow cloth. Place images or idols of Lakshmi and Ganesha, with Ganesha on Lakshmi's left.
3. Place a kalash (a pot of water topped with mango leaves and a coconut, or simply a pot of water) beside them, with rice grains, flowers, sweets, fruit, coins and a lamp.
4. At the start of your muhurat, light the main ghee or oil lamp and the diyas around the home.
5. Begin with Ganesha: offer flowers and rice and chant "Om Gam Ganapataye Namah".
6. Worship Lakshmi with kumkum, flowers, sweets and coins, chanting "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah" or the Shri Suktam if you know it.
7. Perform aarti together, offer prasad to everyone, and keep a lamp burning through the evening.

Families from different regions follow their own customs, such as Kali Puja for Bengali households, Chopda Pujan for Gujarati traders, or Deepavali on Naraka Chaturdashi morning for many South Indian families. Follow your family tradition.

Practical tips for Diwali 2026 in China

• Weekday and holiday: Diwali is not a public holiday in China, and the 2026 schedule has no holidays in November. Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November is a gift for working families. Dhanteras on Friday 6 November, Govardhan Puja on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November are working days, so plan evenings around them.
• Sunset and weather: November evenings are cold in Beijing, Tianjin and Ürümqi, and mild in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In the north the puja window starts soon after 5 o'clock in the evening, so get everything ready before you leave work or during the afternoon.
• Fireworks: Rules on fireworks and firecrackers are set by local authorities and many large cities restrict them in central areas. Check your city's current rules before buying anything, and use diyas, candles and electric lights instead.
• Open flames at home: Many apartment buildings have strict fire rules. Keep diyas on stable, non-flammable surfaces, away from curtains, and never leave them unattended.
• Book and buy early: If you want a priest for a home puja, or a place at a community or consulate event, ask early because numbers are often limited. Order diyas, idols and puja items well ahead.
• Check your clock: Use the time for your own city from the table above. The muhurat in Chengdu is more than an hour later than in Beijing.

Diwali 2026 China FAQ

When is Diwali 2026 in China?

Lakshmi Puja, the main night of Diwali, is on Sunday 8 November 2026 everywhere in China. The five days run from Dhanteras on Friday 6 November to Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November, with Naraka Chaturdashi also on Sunday 8 November and Govardhan Puja on Tuesday 10 November.

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in Beijing on 8 November 2026?

The Vrishabha Kaal muhurat for Beijing is 5:25 PM – 7:14 PM on Sunday 8 November. Pradosh Kaal runs from 5:05 PM to 7:50 PM, beginning at sunset. Shanghai's muhurat is 5:23 PM – 7:18 PM and Guangzhou's is 6:11 PM – 8:09 PM.

Is Diwali a public holiday in China?

No. China's 2026 public holiday schedule, issued by the State Council, has no holidays in November and does not include Diwali. Lakshmi Puja falls on a Sunday this year, which makes the evening puja easier for most families.

Are there Hindu temples in mainland China?

We could not confirm any regularly functioning public Hindu temple in mainland China. Quanzhou in Fujian has remarkable Hindu carvings from a Tamil Shiva temple of the Yuan period, now preserved at Kaiyuan Temple and the city's museum, but these are heritage sites rather than places for Diwali puja. Most families celebrate at home or at community gatherings.

Where can Indians in China celebrate Diwali together?

The Embassy of India in Beijing and the Consulates General of India in Shanghai and Guangzhou have held Diwali events in past years, and the Indian Association of China has run a Diwali evening in Shanghai. They usually announce programmes a few weeks ahead, so check their websites and social pages.

Why is Lakshmi Puja on 8 November in China and not 9 November?

Amavasya begins in Beijing Time at 1:57 PM on Sunday 8 November and ends at 3:01 PM on Monday 9 November. Lakshmi Puja is performed when Amavasya covers the evening Pradosh Kaal, and in China that happens on the Sunday evening only.

Related guides

• Diwali 2026 dates in every country, with Lakshmi Puja times
• Diwali 2026: all our guides
• Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat in India
• The 5 days of Diwali 2026 explained
• Dhanteras 2026
• Govardhan Puja and Annakut 2026
• Bhai Dooj 2026
• Diwali 2026 in Hong Kong
• Diwali 2026 in Taiwan
• Diwali 2026 in South Korea