CalendarHours
Home / Time Zones / World Time Zones / China Time Zone
China • Live Time Zone Guide

China Time Zone

China uses one official national time standard: China Standard Time (CST), also called Beijing Time, at UTC+08:00. The same official clock applies from Beijing and Shanghai to far-western Xinjiang, and China does not currently observe daylight saving time.

China has one official time zone—but two time standards can appear in Xinjiang. Beijing Time at UTC+08:00 remains the official national standard. In some Xinjiang communities and local contexts, Xinjiang Time (also called Ürümqi Time) at UTC+06:00 is used alongside it. The IANA database reflects this distinction with Asia/Shanghai for Beijing Time and Asia/Urumqi for Xinjiang Time.
Official national timeChina Standard TimeBeijing Time · CST
Official UTC offsetUTC+08:00Year-round nationwide
Daylight saving timeNot observedNo seasonal clock change
How China Time Works Time Zone Converter China Time Zone Map
Search a China time reference or open the related live clock, UTC+8, map and conversion pages.
Popular: Time in China Beijing Shanghai Beijing Time (BJT) UTC+8 China Time Zone Map

China Time Zone at a Glance

China's official rule is unusually simple for a country this wide: one national time at UTC+08:00. The details matter when you encounter the CST abbreviation, Xinjiang Time or software time-zone identifiers.

1

One Official National Time

See why Beijing Time applies officially across mainland China from east to west.

Understand the national standard → ≈5

A Five-Zone Geographic Span

Understand how China's longitude could fit several solar time zones while the legal clock stays unified.

See the geography → +6

Xinjiang Time

See how UTC+06:00 local time can coexist with official Beijing Time in western China.

Explain Xinjiang Time → IANA

Asia/Shanghai vs Asia/Urumqi

Choose the correct technical identifier for Beijing Time or Xinjiang Time.

Compare IANA zones → CN

Major China Cities

Compare Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Urumqi.

Browse city examples → ⇄

Compare China Internationally

Check live differences with Japan, India, Singapore, London, New York and Sydney.

Compare live times →

China's Official Time Standard

For national civil time, the answer is one line: China Standard Time is UTC+08:00 throughout the year. The local Xinjiang standard is useful context, but it does not replace the official national clock.

Beijing Time live reference →
Time StandardStatusIANA ReferenceUTC OffsetLive Example
China Standard Time
Beijing Time		Official national standardAsia/ShanghaiUTC+08:00Beijing
Xinjiang Time
Ürümqi Time		Local parallel use in some Xinjiang contextsAsia/UrumqiUTC+06:00Urumqi
Why One Time Zone? UTC+8 Time Now Time Zone Abbreviations

Key China Time Zone Locations

Major mainland cities share the same official UTC+08:00 clock. Urumqi is the key exception to understand because official Beijing Time and locally used Xinjiang Time can both appear in real-world scheduling.

Capital · UTC+08BeijingOfficial Beijing Time · Asia/Shanghai.→ East China · UTC+08ShanghaiSame national clock as Beijing.→ South China · UTC+08GuangzhouOfficial China Standard Time year-round.→ South China · UTC+08ShenzhenOfficial China Standard Time year-round.→ West China · UTC+08ChengduOfficial clock remains Beijing Time.→ Southwest · UTC+08ChongqingOfficial clock remains Beijing Time.→ Xinjiang · +08 / +06UrumqiOfficial Beijing Time plus local Xinjiang Time context.→ Country ClockCurrent Time in ChinaLive China clock and current date.→

Why Does China Have Only One Official Time Zone?

China stretches more than 60 degrees of longitude from east to west—roughly the width of four to five idealized 15-degree time zones—yet official clocks remain synchronized to UTC+08:00 nationwide.

See China's time-zone geography →
Location / RegionOfficial Civil TimeOfficial OffsetWhat the Sun DoesPractical Note
BeijingChina Standard TimeUTC+08:00Close to the national standard meridianThe country's reference clock is commonly called Beijing Time.
ShanghaiChina Standard TimeUTC+08:00Eastern daylight patternUses the same official clock as Beijing.
Guangzhou / ShenzhenChina Standard TimeUTC+08:00Southern subtropical daylight patternNo seasonal clock change.
Chengdu / ChongqingChina Standard TimeUTC+08:00Solar noon occurs later than on the east coastDaily schedules adapt without changing the legal clock.
Urumqi / XinjiangChina Standard Time officiallyUTC+08:00 officialVery late sunrise and sunset by Beijing TimeXinjiang Time at UTC+06:00 is also used locally in some contexts.
Kashgar / far westChina Standard Time officiallyUTC+08:00 officialSolar time is far behind eastern ChinaExplicitly confirm whether an appointment is in Beijing Time or Xinjiang Time when relevant.
Beijing Time vs Xinjiang Time

China's UTC+8 Rule—and the UTC+6 Xinjiang Exception in Daily Use

Official national time remains UTC+08:00 everywhere in China. In Xinjiang, however, UTC+06:00 Xinjiang Time (Ürümqi Time) is also used in some local communities, organizations and everyday contexts. The two clocks are exactly two hours apart, so a meeting quoted as “10:00” can be ambiguous unless the time standard is named.

Official China Standard Time Asia/Shanghai vs Asia/Urumqi UTC+8 Time Now China Time Zone Map
Beijing TimeLive timeOfficial · loading offset
ShanghaiLive timeOfficial · loading offset
Urumqi · Beijing TimeLive timeOfficial · loading offset
Xinjiang TimeLive timeLocal UTC+06 · loading offset

China Time Zone by Major City

Every major mainland city below uses China Standard Time at UTC+08:00 officially. Urumqi is listed twice to make the official-versus-local distinction explicit.

See current time in China →
LocationTime StandardIANA ZoneCurrent TimeAbbreviationUTC Offset
BeijingChina Standard TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
ShanghaiChina Standard TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
GuangzhouChina Standard TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
ShenzhenChina Standard TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
ChengduChina Standard TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
ChongqingChina Standard TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
Urumqi · officialBeijing TimeAsia/ShanghaiLive——
Urumqi · local contextXinjiang TimeAsia/UrumqiLive——
Hong KongHong Kong TimeAsia/Hong_KongLive——
MacauMacau local standardAsia/MacauLive——

Does China Observe Daylight Saving Time?

No. China does not currently move clocks forward or backward. China Standard Time remains UTC+08:00 throughout the year, so Beijing, Shanghai and other mainland cities keep the same UTC offset in every season.

Current ruleNo daylight saving time anywhere on the official mainland national clock.
Last nationwide DSTChina's last modern nationwide seasonal clock changes ended in 1991.
Travel planningChina's clock stays fixed, but the difference with London, New York, Toronto, Sydney and other DST-observing places can change during the year.

CST Can Mean Different Time Zones

China Standard Time is commonly abbreviated CST, but the same letters are also used for unrelated time zones. Always check the UTC offset or location when “CST” appears without context.

China Standard TimeCST · UTC+08:00.
North American Central Standard TimeCST · UTC−06:00.
Difference between the twoFourteen hours when North American Central Standard Time is in effect.
Safer notationUse “China Standard Time (UTC+08:00)” or “Beijing Time” for unambiguous scheduling.

Beijing Time, China Standard Time, BJT & UTC+8

These labels are closely related but not interchangeable in every technical context. Keeping the name, offset and IANA identifier separate prevents scheduling errors.

Official Standard

China Standard Time

China's national standard is eight hours ahead of UTC and is consistent with Beijing Time.

Common Name

Beijing Time

The everyday national reference name for the same UTC+08:00 official time used across mainland China.

Abbreviation

CST

Common for China Standard Time, but globally ambiguous because other zones also use CST.

Beijing-Time Reference

BJT

A useful Beijing Time label in some contexts; CalendarHours keeps a dedicated live BJT reference.

Technical Offset

UTC+08:00

The clearest fixed-offset representation of official China Standard Time.

Main IANA ID

Asia/Shanghai

The IANA zone entry labeled Beijing Time and appropriate for official mainland China scheduling.

Quick China Time Zone Compare

Compare official China Standard Time or Xinjiang Time with major international locations. The tool is date-aware, so it automatically reflects daylight saving changes outside China.

Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
⇄
Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Open Full Converter

How China's Time Zone Works

These six rules answer most questions about China's unusually broad single-time-zone system.

01 · National Standard

One Official Clock

Official civil time across mainland China is China Standard Time, UTC+08:00.

02 · Name

Beijing Time Is the Same Standard

Beijing Time is the familiar national name for China Standard Time and is also UTC+08:00.

03 · Geography

Longitude Does Not Change the Legal Clock

Western cities experience much later solar noon by the clock, but the national official time remains unchanged.

04 · Xinjiang

A Parallel Local Time Exists

Xinjiang Time at UTC+06:00 is used in some local contexts alongside official Beijing Time.

05 · DST

No Seasonal Clock Changes

Modern nationwide daylight saving time ended in 1991; current official time stays at UTC+08:00 year-round.

06 · Software

Choose the IANA Zone by Task

Use Asia/Shanghai for Beijing Time; use Asia/Urumqi only when the task specifically requires Xinjiang Time.

Asia/Shanghai vs Asia/Urumqi

The IANA Time Zone Database lists two current China entries in its 2026c zone table: Asia/Shanghai, labeled Beijing Time, and Asia/Urumqi, labeled Xinjiang Time. That does not mean China has two equal official national time zones.

Asia/ShanghaiUse for official China Standard Time / Beijing Time at UTC+08:00.
Asia/UrumqiUse when a system specifically needs Xinjiang Time at UTC+06:00.
Beijing is not Asia/BeijingIANA uses Asia/Shanghai as the representative identifier for Beijing Time; there is no current canonical Asia/Beijing zone.
Do not use Etc/GMT−8 for normal location schedulingA location-based IANA ID better preserves historical and jurisdiction-specific rules.

China UTC Offset & Time Difference

Official China Standard Time is fixed at UTC+08:00. Because China does not change clocks, any seasonal variation in an international time difference comes from the other location.

China ↔ JapanJapan is 1 hour ahead of official China time year-round.
China ↔ SingaporeSame UTC+08:00 offset year-round.
China ↔ IndiaOfficial China time is 2 hours 30 minutes ahead of India year-round.
China ↔ LondonChina is 8 hours ahead when London is on GMT and 7 hours ahead when London is on BST.
China ↔ New YorkChina is typically 13 hours ahead during EST and 12 hours ahead during EDT.
China ↔ Los AngelesChina is typically 16 hours ahead during PST and 15 hours ahead during PDT.
UTC+8 Time Now Convert China Time
Visual Geography

See China's Time Zone Geography

China's map is especially useful because the country spans a huge east-west distance while retaining one official national clock. The map also helps explain why Xinjiang's local UTC+06:00 time exists alongside Beijing Time.

Open China Time Zone Map Asia Time Zone Map
China · Official UTC+08 · Xinjiang local UTC+06

Looking for the Current Time in China?

This page explains China's time-zone rules. If your main question is what time it is in China right now, use the live country and city clock pages.

Country ClockCurrent Time in China CapitalCurrent Time in Beijing ShanghaiCurrent Time in Shanghai Zone ClockBeijing Time (BJT) Now

Sources & Methodology

China's national standard and its relationship to UTC are grounded in Chinese national time-frequency terminology and official timekeeping references. IANA zone data is used for location-based software identifiers and live offsets. Historical daylight-saving behavior is handled through date-aware IANA rules rather than hardcoded seasonal assumptions.

State Administration for Market Regulation — China Standard Time defined as UTC+8 and consistent with Beijing Time Xinhua / National Time Service Center — Beijing Time as China's national standard time IANA tzdb 2026c — Asia/Shanghai (Beijing Time) and Asia/Urumqi (Xinjiang Time) IANA Time Zone Database — current civil-time rules and historical transitions

Last reviewed: August 20, 2026 · IANA tzdb reference at review: 2026c. China Standard Time remains UTC+08:00 without current daylight saving time; location-specific software data can change as tzdb is updated.

China Time Zone FAQ

What time zone is China in?

China uses one official national time standard: China Standard Time, also called Beijing Time, at UTC+08:00.

How many official time zones does China have?

China has one official national time standard despite spanning a geographic width that could naturally cover several time zones.

What is China's UTC offset?

Official China Standard Time is UTC+08:00 throughout the year.

Does China use daylight saving time?

No. China does not currently change clocks seasonally. Its last modern nationwide daylight-saving changes ended in 1991.

Is Beijing Time the same as China Standard Time?

Yes. Both refer to China's official UTC+08:00 national time standard.

What IANA time zone should I use for China?

Use Asia/Shanghai for official Beijing Time. Use Asia/Urumqi only when the task specifically calls for Xinjiang Time at UTC+06:00.

What is Xinjiang Time?

Xinjiang Time, also called Ürümqi Time, is UTC+06:00 and is used in some local contexts in Xinjiang alongside official Beijing Time at UTC+08:00.

Is China Standard Time the same as U.S. Central Standard Time?

No. China Standard Time is UTC+08:00, while North American Central Standard Time is UTC−06:00. The shared CST abbreviation is ambiguous.

Do Beijing and Shanghai have the same time?

Yes. Beijing, Shanghai and other major mainland Chinese cities use the same official China Standard Time, UTC+08:00, year-round.

Why does China have one official time zone?

China standardized its national civil clock around Beijing Time. Official scheduling therefore uses UTC+08:00 across the country's broad east-west span.