What Time Is It in China?
All of China – from Ürümqi to Shanghai – runs on a single clock: Beijing time, UTC+8. Live comparison to your own time zone, a call-time planner, and why that's unusual for a country this size. Once you know the time difference, pair it with the best months to visit to plan both when and how to time your trip.
Your time (default) · Berlin
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China · Beijing time (nationwide)
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Or click any city on the map – Beijing stays fixed as the reference.
1
Time zone for 1.4 billion people, from the border with Kazakhstan to the coast
UTC+8
Beijing time applies year-round, with no clock changes
0
Daylight-saving switches – China dropped it for good in 1991
6–7 h
Difference from Central European Time (CET/CEST), depending on the season
Why a single time zone?
Geographically, China spans about 62° of longitude – nearly five natural time zones. Until 1949 the country actually used a five-zone system; since then, for political reasons, only Beijing time applies nationwide, as a symbol of national unity.
More on the background and China's geographic extent:Why does China use only one time zone? →
The same nationwide clock applies during China's public holidays, when embassies, businesses, and transport schedules shift together across the whole country, regardless of the local sun time.
One clock, five sun times
The map shows China's area divided into five natural 15°-longitude bands – roughly the historical zones of 1912–1949. Officially, the clock shows the same Beijing time everywhere. Click a city to see how far its actual sun position deviates from that.
Beijing
capital · reference time
- Official time
- Beijing time (UTC+8) nationwide
- Today's solar noon (Beijing clock)
- 12:11 Uhr
- Natural solar offset today
- +0:11 Std.
Click a city for its natural solar offset from official Beijing time.
Daylight comparison by Beijing time
Because one clock applies to all of China while sunrise and sunset follow geography, the actual daylight window drifts across the map. Move the slider or pick a solstice – including the country's northernmost (Mohe) and southernmost city (Sanya). Families timing a visit around the school holidays calendar should note that daylight hours shift just as much across the country as the clock stays fixed.
Hover or tap a city for exact sunrise/sunset.
Summer solstice, June 21
In Mohe, China's northernmost city, the day lasts almost17 hours. In tropical Sanya in the south, it's only around 13 hours.
Winter solstice, December 21
In Mohe the day shrinks to just 7.5 hours. Sanya stays almost unchanged at around 11 hours – this close to the equator, day length barely shifts over the year.
Sunrise and sunset times are calculated astronomically using the NOAA method (accuracy roughly ±1 minute) and are for orientation only; the map above is schematic and not to scale.
FAQ
What time is it right now in China?
See the live clock at the top of this page – it shows the current Beijing time (UTC+8), which applies across the whole country, from Shanghai to Ürümqi. Pick your own city (or let it auto-detect) to compare instantly.
How many hours' time difference does China have from Central Europe?
Six hours during Central European Summer Time (CEST, late March to late October) and seven hours during winter time (CET). China itself never changes – the difference shifts purely because of the European clock change.
Does China observe daylight saving time?
No. China tried a daylight-saving rule between 1986 and 1991, then scrapped it again. The same time has applied year-round ever since, with no spring-forward or fall-back.
Why does China have only one time zone despite its huge size?
For political reasons: in 1949 the newly founded People's Republic unified the previously used five-zone system into a single nationwide Beijing time, as a symbol of national unity. Geographically, the country would actually span close to five natural time zones – see our article on China's geographic location for details.
What's a good time to call China?
It depends on where you are – use the live comparison above to check instantly. As a rule of thumb, Beijing business hours (roughly 9:00–18:00 local) fall in the late morning to evening for Central Europe (CET/CEST), and in the evening to early morning for the US East Coast.
Why does the sun rise so late in Ürümqi (Xinjiang)?
Ürümqi sits far in the west of China but follows the same Beijing clock as the east coast. Sunrise and sunset are therefore shifted by the clock by roughly two hours. Many people and authorities in Xinjiang informally use their own "Xinjiang time" (UTC+6), two hours behind Beijing, because of this.
Related:Direct flights to China → ·Public holidays in China → ·China's geographic location →