Beijing / China Time
Live local time in Beijing and all of mainland China (Asia/Shanghai). China Standard Time (CST) is UTC+8 year-round with no Daylight Saving Time.
Trust summary Engine tested · Specification checked · v1.0.1
- Input interpretation
- Enter values to calculate.
- Result
- —
- Model
- Current local date and time in the Asia/Shanghai time zone (Beijing / China Standard Time).
- Scope
- Device clock and OS timezone database are reasonably correct.
- Verification
- Engine tested · Specification checked · v1.0.1
- Named expert review
- Optional · Not performed
- Specification basis
- IANA time zone database — Asia/Shanghai
- China Standard Time (CST / Beijing Time) = UTC+08:00
- Mainland China: no Daylight Saving Time since 1991
Formulas
Core equations used by this calculator.
How to use
Open the live clock
The page shows current date and time for Asia/Shanghai from your browser.
Refresh if needed
Use Refresh to re-read the clock; the display also updates about once per second.
Plan with a fixed offset
Beijing stays on CST (UTC+8) all year — only the other city’s DST (if any) can change the difference.
Example calculations
Common configurations with formula and result.
Noon UTC
CST = UTC+8
vs Hong Kong
Both fixed at UTC+8
vs Tokyo
JST = UTC+9
vs London in winter
GMT = UTC+0
Beijing vs other zones (when those cities are on standard / winter time)
Common values at a glance.
| City / zone | Their offset | Beijing relative |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | UTC+0 | 8 hours ahead |
| London (GMT) | UTC+0 | 8 hours ahead |
| India (IST) | UTC+5:30 | 2 hours 30 min ahead |
| Bangkok (ICT) | UTC+7 | 1 hour ahead |
| Hong Kong / Singapore / Taiwan | UTC+8 | Same time |
| Tokyo / Seoul | UTC+9 | 1 hour behind |
| New York (EST) | UTC−5 | 13 hours ahead |
| Los Angeles (PST) | UTC−8 | 16 hours ahead |
Beijing / China Time specification
Version 1.0.1 · Engine tested
- Engine tested 3 published cases
- Named expert review Not performed
- Calculation version 1.0.1
- Definition
- Beijing and all of mainland China use China Standard Time (CST), also called Beijing Time, on the IANA zone Asia/Shanghai. The offset is UTC+08:00 year-round — mainland China has not observed Daylight Saving Time since 1991, so clocks never spring forward or fall back.
- What it calculates
- Current local date and time in the Asia/Shanghai time zone (Beijing / China Standard Time).
- Inputs
- None — uses the device clock and the IANA zone Asia/Shanghai
- Outputs
- Local time (24-hour style from the browser formatter)
- Local calendar date
- Formula
Display = Intl.DateTimeFormat with timeZone Asia/Shanghai- Assumptions
- Device clock and OS timezone database are reasonably correct.
- Covers mainland China; Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan use separate IANA ids at the same offset.
- Runs locally in the browser; no server round-trip for the clock.
- Units
- Civil local time (hours, minutes, seconds)
- UTC offset CST +8 (fixed)
- Boundary conditions
- No DST transitions — every civil hour occurs once per day
- Difference to DST-observing cities changes when those cities change clocks
- Example
- 12:00 UTC → 20:00 Asia/Shanghai
- Validation cases
3 published on this page
- UTC 12:00 → 20:00 Asia/Shanghai
- Same instant as Asia/Hong_Kong → Identical clock time
- Same instant as Asia/Tokyo → Beijing is 1 hour earlier
- Specification basis
- IANA time zone database — Asia/Shanghai
- China Standard Time (CST / Beijing Time) = UTC+08:00
- Mainland China: no Daylight Saving Time since 1991
- Calculation version
- 1.0.1
Background
Interpretation and common distinctions.
Current time in Beijing, China
This page shows a live local clock for Beijing and all of mainland China, using the IANA zone Asia/Shanghai. Time is read from your browser with that zone applied — the same civil time used nationwide.
Mainland China runs on one legal clock. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Ürümqi all follow the same official time as Beijing.
China Standard Time (CST)
| Name | Abbreviation | UTC offset | DST |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Standard Time (Beijing Time) | CST | UTC+8 | None |
Beijing stays on UTC+8 year-round. Prefer UTC+8 or Asia/Shanghai when precision matters: “CST” also stands for U.S. Central Standard Time and Cuba Standard Time.
The IANA identifier is Asia/Shanghai rather than Asia/Beijing — the database names zones after a representative city, and the rules are exactly Beijing Time.
No Daylight Saving Time
Mainland China does not observe DST. It was tried between 1986 and 1991 and then abolished, so there is no spring-forward or fall-back date to remember.
When you compare Beijing to London, New York, or Los Angeles, only their seasonal changes move the difference — Beijing’s offset stays fixed.
One country, one clock
China spans roughly five geographic time zones, yet uses a single legal time. The practical effect shows up at the edges: in far-western Xinjiang, the sun can rise hours later by the clock than it does in Beijing, and some residents informally keep an unofficial local time two hours behind. Official schedules — transport, broadcasts, business hours — use UTC+8.
How Beijing time compares
Same clock (all UTC+8, no DST):
- Hong Kong (
Asia/Hong_Kong), Taiwan (Asia/Taipei), Singapore (Asia/Singapore): identical local time, separate zone ids.
Fixed neighbors:
- Tokyo / Seoul (UTC+9): Beijing is 1 hour behind.
- Bangkok (UTC+7): Beijing is 1 hour ahead.
- India (IST) (UTC+5:30): Beijing is 2 hours 30 minutes ahead.
- UTC: Beijing is always 8 hours ahead.
Against DST-observing zones (approximate):
- London: 8 hours ahead of GMT; 7 hours ahead of BST.
- New York: about 13 hours ahead of EST; 12 hours ahead of EDT.
- Los Angeles: about 16 hours ahead of PST; 15 hours ahead of PDT.
UTC vs GMT
For everyday scheduling, UTC and GMT both mean offset +0. UTC is the modern atomic-clock standard; this clock is defined as UTC+8. Example: noon UTC is 20:00 in Beijing.
Related tools
Other calculators in this family: Hong Kong Time, Taiwan Time, Singapore Time, Tokyo / Japan Time, Bangkok / Thailand Time, UTC Time .
Frequently asked questions
Key distinctions behind the calculation.
What time zone is Beijing in?
Beijing uses China Standard Time (CST), commonly called Beijing Time. The IANA identifier is Asia/Shanghai. The offset is UTC+8 all year.
Does China observe Daylight Saving Time?
No. Mainland China last used DST in the period 1986–1991 and abolished it. Clocks in Beijing stay on UTC+8 with no spring-forward or fall-back.
Is all of China on the same time?
Yes for official purposes. Despite spanning roughly five geographic time zones, all of mainland China uses a single legal time, Beijing Time (UTC+8). In Xinjiang some residents informally keep an unofficial local time two hours behind, but official schedules, transport, and broadcasts use UTC+8.
Why does the IANA zone say Asia/Shanghai and not Asia/Beijing?
The time zone database names zones after a representative city, and Asia/Shanghai is the canonical identifier for mainland China. It carries exactly the Beijing Time rules — the clock is the same.
Are Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan the same time as Beijing?
Their clocks read the same (all UTC+8), but they are separate IANA zones: Asia/Hong_Kong, Asia/Macau, and Asia/Taipei. None of them observes DST, so the times stay aligned.
How does Beijing time compare to London or New York?
Against UTC+0 (GMT), Beijing is 8 hours ahead. When the UK is on BST (UTC+1), the lead is 7 hours. Against U.S. Eastern Time, Beijing is typically 13 hours ahead in winter (EST) and 12 hours ahead in summer (EDT).
Why use Asia/Shanghai instead of “CST”?
IANA zone IDs encode the correct offset for computers. “CST” is ambiguous — it can mean China Standard Time, U.S. Central Standard Time, or Cuba Standard Time. This clock uses Asia/Shanghai so the browser applies the official fixed UTC+8 rule.
What is UTC?
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the global time standard. Zone offsets are written as hours ahead of (+) or behind (−) UTC. Beijing is always UTC+8.