China Time Guide: Time Zones, Daylight Savings & Useful Mandarin Phrases

China is a mind-boggling size, and likes to do things it’s own way, the same can be said for Time in China.

What do we mean by that? Find out first by reading on as we answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

NOTE: If you’re looking for how to say the time in Chinese, check out our guide here!

Time in China – What is Daylight Saving Time?

Time in China – What is the time zone in China?

Time in China – Why doesn’t China have Daylight Saving Time?

Time in China – Why did China stop using Daylight Saving Time?

Time in China – How many time zones does China have?

Time in China – 20 Useful Words To Learn

After answering these FAQ’s, we’ll be teaching you 20 useful words relating to Time in Chinese so stick around!

What Is Daylight Saving Time?

DEFINITION – Daylight Saving Time, simply called DST is a seasonal time change measure used worldwide to make better use of daylight and to conserve energy.

VOCAB ALERT – Daylight Savings Time translates to : 日光节约时 – Rìguāng jiéyuē shí

One of the main aims of DST is to make people’s active hours match with the daylight ones so that less artificial light is needed.

Therefore much of the world (over 70 countries) adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in autumn to standard time.

This change affects over 1 billion people every year and it varies from one country to another.

Time Zone –  Play 时区 Shíqū

Time Difference –  Play 时差 Shíchā

What Is The Time Zone In China?

Due to the fact China does not implement daylight saving time they are:

• GMT +8 in the winter months
• GMT +7 during the summer months

VOCAB ALERT – Greenwich Mean Time translates to Play 格林威治平均时间 – gé lín wēi zhì píng jūn shí jiān

The clocks do not change in China, but remember to adjust your time difference by the hour for your calls to relatives and friends back home

Why Doesn’t China Have Daylight Saving Time?

In China, as several Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and India, the daily clock remains unchanged throughout the year, but this wasn’t always the case for China.

From April 1986 to September 1991, in fact, the Chinese Government decided to institute the DST because a study from Peking University showed as that could save up to 2 billion kilowatt hours of energy per year.

So that begs the question…

Why Did China Stop Using DST?

It is estimated that the country saved 700 million kilowatt-hours in 1986, but, despite this overwhelming factual evidence of energy conservation, in 1991 Chinese Government decided to stop adopting the Daylight Saving Time, due to its unpopularity.

Since April 1986, in fact, many Chinese people complained about the time change, and in some cities, especially in Guangzhou, many people completely ignored it.

Since DST is not adopted in China anymore, when scheduling a call from or to the Middle Kingdom, make sure you consider time differences will vary during the year, as many countries observe DST during different periods while China doesn’t!

How Many Time Zones Does China Have?

Despite the fact China spans over a huge FIVE time zones, guess how many time zones they officially have?

One! China has one time zone!

How can that be? The country spans over a whopping five time zones, which for reference are the Zhongyuan, Longshu, Tibet, Kunlun and Changbai time zones.

DID YOU KNOW: China combined the time zones into just one in 1949. The result is that in some regions the sunset can be seen as late as 10 pm.

The usage of one time zone is solely centred around where business is at it’s most important which is overwhelming in favour of the east of China. This leaves the west of China with some rather odd daylight hours, Xinjiang province baring the brunt of it. China is big, and Xinjiang is not close to Beijing one bit!

Time in China – Useful Vocabulary

Here are 20 useful words relating to Time in Chinese Mandarin that you should learn:

There we have it, our complete guide. Did you find it useful? If so tell us below.

We’ve got other guides which you also might be interested in, like our simple guide to Days, Months and Seasons in Chinese. INCLUDED – some free downloadable calendars.

Enjoy and happy learning!

Time in China – FAQ’s