Time zone · Asia
CST
China Standard Time
China Standard Time (CST, UTC+8) keeps all of mainland China — including Macau, Hong Kong, the Uighur regions, and Taiwan — marching in sync, which simplifies daily life and work across a vast, culturally diverse landmass.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Current offset
UTC+08:00
Standard · CST
Daylight saving
Not observed
Year-round standard time
IANA zones
2
None observe daylight saving
DST offset
—
No summer variant
About CST
A fixed, year-round offset.
China Standard Time (CST, UTC+8) keeps all of mainland China — including Macau, Hong Kong, the Uighur regions, and Taiwan — marching in sync, which simplifies daily life and work across a vast, culturally diverse landmass.
IANA zones · the technical identifiers
The 2 zones that resolve to CST.
For software, always store the IANA identifier — never the abbreviation alone. The database keeps these zones distinct because their rules can, and historically did, diverge.
Cities currently on CST
The same hour, city by city.
2 cities · all UTC+08:00
Where CST is used
2 countries.
Same offset · UTC+08:00
Other zones at UTC+08:00 right now.
These named zones share CST's offset today. When daylight saving rules differ, they drift apart for part of the year.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about CST, daylight saving, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does China use Daylight Saving Time?
- No. China Central Standard Time stays at UTC+8 all year, so clocks never jump forward or back.
- Which cities are on China Standard Time?
- Key hubs include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hong Kong, and Macau — even though those special-administration regions maintain their own clocks.
- Why does a continent-sized country stick to one time zone?
- A single zone (adopted in 1949) simplifies national coordination, despite spanning nearly 60° of longitude.
- Do western provinces like Xinjiang follow Beijing time?
- Officially yes, but since Beijing sunrise can be around 10 am local solar time, many locals unofficially run on Xinjiang Time (UTC+6).
- What’s neat about collaborating with Shanghai or Shenzhen?
- Because there’s zero Daylight Saving Time changes, meeting slots are stable year-round — but the 5 am sunrise in winter means early risers enjoy long evenings.
- Do Hong Kong and Macau sync with Beijing?
- Hong Kong Time and Macau Standard Time both align with China Standard Time at UTC+8, and neither observes daylight saving either.
- When did Beijing first adopt the CST offset?
- The People’s Republic standardized to UTC+8 on 1 January 1949, replacing the previous five-zone system introduced in the 1910s.
- Is there ever a ‘second’ time zone inside China?
- Officially no, but Xinjiang’s unofficial UTC+6 schedule is prevalent across local commerce and broadcasts, creating an effective split.
- Does the offset ever shift near the International Date Line?
- No. China’s entire landmass stays east of the IDL, so dates shift only at midnight — never mid-day.
Free · Developer API
Time, as JSON.
Every IANA time zone with live offsets, DST status, and the countries and cities that use them — clean, dependable JSON. Sign up free and get an API key in seconds.
countries, cities, convert, DST transitions coming next.
Get your free API key →