World Clock
Time in China
Shown above is the current time across China, alongside the time zone China keeps and the live local time in its main cities.
The whole of China runs on a single time, CST (UTC+8) — so every city listed on this page reads exactly the same clock.
China doesn't observe daylight saving at all — its offset from UTC stays fixed the entire year, so if the gap to another country ever changes, it's that other country moving its own clocks, not this one.
Cities in China
Questions people ask
How many time zones does China actually have?
Just one. The whole of China keeps a single national time, UTC+8.
Does China observe daylight saving time?
No, the clocks here stay put all year round.
What's the capital of China, and what time is it there right now?
Beijing — where the current time is 3:05 am.
What UTC offset does China use?
UTC+8, unchanged throughout the year.
What's the current date in China?
Right now it's Tuesday, 8 September 2026 there.
Do all cities in China share the same clock?
Yes. Every city in the table reads identically, since the entire country runs on one single zone.
How far apart in time are China and my own country?
The time difference calculator will compare them directly, laying out today's gap across the full twenty-four hours.
What are typical working hours like in China?
Roughly 9 to 5 local time is standard in most countries, but the working week itself isn't universal — several Gulf countries run Sunday through Thursday instead. Worth checking before assuming Friday is a working day there.
What IANA time zone identifier does China use?
Asia/Shanghai, which is the identifier software and calendar apps actually store internally to track the zone.
What time does the sun rise and set across China?
It varies city by city, since sunrise follows real coordinates rather than the time zone. The sunrise page for China lists today's exact times for every city.