Time Zone History

China time zone history

China has 2 zones of its own in the tz database. Standard times run from UTC+6 (Ürümqi) to UTC+8 (Shanghai), a spread of 2 hours. None of the 2 zones changes clocks today; the last seasonal change in any of them was in 1991.

2 zones · 0 with seasonal clock changes under the rules in tzdata 2026f · Convert a time

The 2 zones of China since 1970

the zone’s standard time today1 hour aheadthe zone’s standard time today1 hour ahead

How to read this chart

197019801990200020102020ShanghaiÜrümqi197019902010ShanghaiÜrümqi

Zones at a glance

ZoneArea coveredStandard timeClock changes todayNew standard times since 1970
ShanghaiBeijing time, all of China in common useUTC+8no, last in 19910
ÜrümqiXinjiang timeUTC+6no0

What sets each zone apart

  • Shanghai: Standard time has stayed at UTC+8 since 1901, the second-longest run of the 8 zones on UTC+8 standard time with no change of standard time since 1970. Daylight saving time was used in 6 years since 1970, last in 1991; under the current rules the clocks no longer change.

How the zones compare with Shanghai since 1970

  • Ürümqi: usually 2 hours behind Shanghai; different on 896 days in 1986–1991.