Asia · Eastern Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in China
Spans 2 time zones from UTC+06:00 to UTC+08:00, a 2-hour difference.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About China's time
2 time zones.
China spans enough longitude to cover five geographical time zones but uses a single unified time zone (UTC+8). Western regions like Xinjiang unofficially use UTC+6 despite Beijing time being official, leading to clocks running up to two hours ahead of solar time.
By time zone
Time zones of China.
2 time zones
Major cities
Cities of China.
Territories & dependencies
The Republic, around the world.
History
How China keeps time.
Prior to 1949, China used five time zones: Kunlun (UTC+05:45), Sinkiang-Tibet (UTC+06:00), Kansu-Szechwan (UTC+07:00), Chungyuan (UTC+08:00), and Changpai (UTC+08:45). After the Communist Revolution, the new government abolished these divisions and implemented a single national standard time, Beijing Time (UTC+08:00), to promote national unity and administrative simplicity.
Did you know?
Things about China's time.
The use of a single time zone across China creates significant discrepancies between clock time and local solar time, especially in western regions. In Xinjiang, the sun may not rise until 9:30 AM Beijing time, and locals often operate on an unofficial 'Xinjiang Time' (UTC+06:00) for daily activities. China does not observe daylight saving time and has not done so since 1992.
Hong Kong (UTC+08:00) and Macau (UTC+08:00) maintain their own time zone designations (HKT and CST-Macau) due to their special administrative status, though they align with Beijing Time.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about China's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does all of China use the same time?
- Officially, yes—all of mainland China uses Beijing Time (UTC+08:00), despite geographic span. Unofficially, Xinjiang often uses UTC+06:00 for daily life.
- Why does China have only one time zone?
- In 1949, the Chinese government unified the country under a single time zone (Beijing Time) to foster streamline administration, and national cohesion.
- Does China observe Daylight Saving Time?
- No, China has not observed DST since 1992.
- Is Xinjiang time the same as Beijing time?
- Officially, Xinjiang uses Beijing Time (UTC+08:00), but locally, many operate on an unofficial 'Xinjiang Time' (UTC+06:00), two hours behind, to better match daylight hours.
- Does Hong Kong use the same time as mainland China?
- Yes, Hong Kong (HKT, UTC+08:00) aligns with Beijing Time despite being a separate administrative region.
- What time is it in China right now?
- All of China follows Beijing Time (UTC+08:00). Use a world clock to determine the current time.
Free · Developer API
Time, as JSON.
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