This seems to need a little amendment as far as mainland China is concerned. Any business-to-business operation will be shut, and all offices, government departments, and many banks will shut for a week (not just two or three days). Retail operations of all kinds will continue largely unchecked, or even at a higher pitch with the mass advertising of sales (even more than usual) to get the masses through the doors. The whole purpose of "holiday economics"--the expanding of the New Year holiday to a week, as happened a few years ago--is to stimulate domestic demand and get the money out of the savings accounts and into circulation. Only very minor retail, corner shops, and smaller restaurants in larger cities may either shut or have reduced service because they are staffed with migrants who all disappear home. Sanitation services, street vending, maid services, etc. are all reduced to almost nothing in this period for the same reason.

But from the visitor's point of view the only difficulty is getting around the country. During a ten day period around the New Year there are expected to be 1.8 billion person/journeys made this year.

Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html