Time zone · Asia
URUMQI
Urumqi Time
Urumqi Time is UTC+06:00, the unofficial "Xinjiang Time" that many people in Xinjiang, western China, use in daily life. China's official time everywhere, including Xinjiang, is China Standard Time (UTC+08:00), so government offices, schools and transport in the region run two hours ahead of it.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Current offset
UTC+06:00
Standard · +06
Daylight saving
Not observed
Year-round standard time
IANA zones
1
None observe daylight saving
DST offset
—
No summer variant
About URUMQI
A fixed, year-round offset.
Urumqi Time is UTC+06:00, the unofficial "Xinjiang Time" that many people in Xinjiang, western China, use in daily life. China's official time everywhere, including Xinjiang, is China Standard Time (UTC+08:00), so government offices, schools and transport in the region run two hours ahead of it.
IANA zones · the technical identifiers
The zone that resolve to URUMQI.
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.
Where URUMQI is used
One country.
Same offset · UTC+06:00
Other zones at UTC+06:00 right now.
These named zones share URUMQI's offset today. When daylight saving rules differ, they drift apart for part of the year.
Convert
URUMQI to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about URUMQI, daylight saving, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Why does Urumqi Time matter for daily life?
- Xinjiang runs on two clocks. Government offices, schools, airlines and trains use China Standard Time (UTC+08:00), while many residents, especially in Uyghur communities, keep Xinjiang Time (UTC+06:00), which fits local daylight better. People often check which of the two a meeting or appointment time refers to.
- Why doesn't Urumqi observe DST?
- Xinjiang Time has no daylight saving time and stays at UTC+06:00 all year. China's official time used daylight saving time only from 1986 to 1991.
- How far behind standard time is local solar noon in Urumqi?
- Urumqi's longitude (about 87.6°E) puts local solar noon near UTC+05:50, so Xinjiang Time (UTC+06:00) runs only about 10 minutes ahead of the sun. China Standard Time (UTC+08:00), the official time, runs about 2 hours 10 minutes ahead, which is why summer sunsets in Urumqi come around 22:00 Beijing time.
- When did this offset begin?
- Timekeeping records put Urumqi on UTC+06:00 from 1 January 1928. China's official time, which government offices in Xinjiang follow, is UTC+08:00.
Source: IANA tzdb2026e · Reviewed
Free · Developer API
This time zone, as JSON.
Its defining offset, DST status and member counts, from one endpoint.
Also in the API: time zones by coordinates, conversions that flag daylight saving gaps, and abbreviations decoded.
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