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The People's Republic of China (PRC), which includes mainland China and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, are in the same time zone which is eight hours ahead of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+8). In the past, China had been divided into five time zones. The same time zone is shared by the separate island nation, the Republic of China (ROC), more commonly known as Taiwan.

Although all jurisdictions within the region are placed under the same time zone, for historical and political reasons different jurisdictions keep their own time standard with their own names.

• In mainland China, the time standard is called the Beijing Time or Chinese Standard Time. A summer daylight saving time was observed from 1986 through 1991.
• In Hong Kong, the standard is called Hong Kong Time.
• In Macau, it is Macau Standard Time [1].
• In Taiwan, the time zone is Chungyuan Standard Time (or Central Standard Time), although it is now more frequently known as National Standard Time or Taiwan Time [2].

History

Time zones were first set up and made official in China in 1912 under the Republic of China. The country was divided into five time zones, namely GMT+5.5, GMT+6, GMT+7, GMT+8 and GMT+8.5. Before that, time varied, while astrological predictions were conducted according to the time standard based on the locations of then capitals of the imperial dynasties.

After the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Communist Party took over mainland China and established People's Republic of China. The government of the then ruling Kuomintang (KMT), while retaining control of Taiwan and other minor islands), was relocated to Taipei.

The People's Republic of China established one single time zone (UTC+8) for the entirety of its claimed territories, while the Republic of China continued to place the remaining territories of Taiwan under the UTC+8 time zone. In other words, although the two had different policies, the outcome was that they were all placed under the same time zone.

From the mid-19th century until 1997 and 1999, Hong Kong and Macau had, respectively, been colonies of the United Kingdom and Portugal. Despite being part of the People's Republic of China today, as special administrative regions they have retained their own policies regarding time zones over the respective regions. Due to their geographical locations, both are within the GMT/UTC+8 time zone.

The Republic of China from 1912 to 1949

The time zones of the Republic of China (from 1912 to 1949)

In 1912, the Central Observatory of the Republic of China in Peking (now romanised as Beijing) divided the country into five time zones, namely Kunlun Time Zone (GMT+5.5), Sinkiang-Tibet Time Zone (GMT+6), Kansu-Szechuan Time Zone (GMT+7), Chungyuan Standard Time Zone (GMT+8), and Changpai Time Zone (GMT+8.5). These time zones were ratified in 1939 in the standard time conference of the Ministry of Interior of the Executive Yuan.

These time zones were no longer in effective use after 1949, when the PRC was established on mainland China, as the new government had its own policies regarding the time zones on mainland China. However, as the ROC still claimed that it had sovereignty over mainland China, the time zones that were assigned in 1912 are still in use in the view of the Government of the ROC, which had retreated to Taiwan. Some government departments on Taiwan still refer to the time on Taiwan as "Chungyuan Standard Time".

Kunlun

The Kunlun Time Zone (崑崙時區) was assigned to the area around the Kunlun mountain ranges in the far west of China, based on the time on the longitude 82°30′E. Administrative divisions within this time zone were:

• western part of the Sinkiang Province (now Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China (PRC))
• western part the Tibet Region (now part of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the PRC)

Sinkiang-Tibet

The Sinkiang-Tibet Time Zone (新藏時區) was named after the administrative divisions of Sinkiang and Tibet, which had the majority of their land lying in this time zone. The time zone also covered the western halves of their neighbouring administrative divisions. The time in this time zone was based on that on the longitude 90°E. Administrative divisions within this time zone included:

• eastern part of the Sinkiang Province (now Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• eastern part of the Tibet Region (now part of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• western part of Tsinghai Province (now transliterated as Qinghai Province by the PRC)
• western part of Sikang Province (now part of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Sichuan Province of the PRC)
• the western part of the Mongolia Region (now the independent state of Mongolia).

Kansu-Szechuan

The Kansu-Szechuan Time Zone (隴蜀時區) covered the mid-western part of China, based on the longitude 105°E. Administrative divisions within this time zone were:

• Kansu Province (now transliterated as Gansu Province by the PRC)
• Szechuan Province (now part of the Sichuan Province of the PRC)
• Ningsia Province (now the Ningxia Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• Suiyuan Province (now part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• Shensi Province (now transliterated as Shaanxi Province by the PRC)
• Kweichow Province (now transliterated as Guizhou Province by the PRC)
• Kwangsi Province (now transliterated as Guangxi Province by the PRC)
• Yunnan Province
• eastern half of the Tsinghai Province
• eastern half of the Sikang Province
• central part of the Mongolia Region

Chungyuan

The Chungyuan Standard Time Zone (中原標準時區), or Central Standard Time Zone, covered the densely populated area of the ROC, including the then capital Nanking. The time in this time zone was based on the longitude 120°E. Administrative divisions in this time zone were:

• Hsingan Province (now part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• Liaopeh Province (now part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• Chahar Province (now part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region)
• Hopeh Province (now transliterated as Hebei Province by the PRC)
• Jehol Province (now part of the Hebei Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the PRC)
• Liaoning Province
• Shantung Province (now transliterated as Shandong Province by the PRC)
• Shansi Province (now transliterated as Shanxi Province by the PRC)
• Anhwei Province (no transliterated as Anhui Province by the PRC)
• Kiangsu Province (now transliterated as Jiangsu Province by the PRC)
• Chekiang Province (now transliterated as Zhejiang Province by the PRC)
• Hupeh Province (now transliterated as Hubei Province by the PRC)
• Hunan Provice
• Kiangsi Province (now transliterated as Jiangxi Province by the PRC)
• Fukien Province (now transliterated as Fujian Province by the PRC)
• Kwangtung Province (now transliterated as Guangdong Province by the PRC)
  • Hainan Special Administrative District (now Hainan Province of the PRC)
• Taiwan Province (disputed, see political status of Taiwan)
• eastern part of the Mongolia Region

Changpai

The Changpai Time Zone (長白時區) covered Northeast China. Named after the Changpai mountain range on the border between China and Korea, it was based on that on the longitude 127°30′E. Administrative divisions within this time zone included:

• Heilungkiang province (now part of the Heilongjiang Province of the PRC)
• Hokiang province (now part of the Heilongjiang Province of the PRC)
• Kirin province (now part of the Jilin Province of the PRC)
• Nunkiang province (now part of the Jilin Province of the PRC)
• Sungkiang province (now part of the Jilin Province the PRC)
• Antung province (now part of the Liaoning Province of the PRC)

The People's Republic of China

Main article: China Standard Time

After the Chinese Civil War with the then ruling Kuomintang (KMT), the Communist Party gained control of the Chinese mainland and established the People's Republic of China in 1949. A unified time zone - GMT+8 - was established for all its claimed territories, called Beijing Time (sometimes known as Chinese Standard Time).

The unified time zone policy was adopted by the Communist Party of China or the People's Republic government some time between 27 September, 1949, and 6 October, 1949. The exact date is unknown, due to poor documentation of government policy decisions at the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the fact that the PRC government had not yet gained control over significant parts of mainland China at this time. However, recent research suggests that the policy was most likely adopted on 27 September 1949.^[1]

For a time the People's Congress of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, thanks to its geographical location in the westernmost part of the country, had a Ürümqi Time, which was 2 hours behind Beijing Time (UTC+6). Although the Ürümqi Time is not official, most stores and government offices in Xinjiang have modified opening hours, commonly running from 10AM to 7PM Beijing Time. Times for buses, trains, and other public transportation are often given in Xinjiang time, regardless of the ethnicity of the speaker.

The Republic of China since 1949

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Taiwan is currently on the Chungyuan (central) Standard Time, UTC+8.

Hong Kong

Main article: Hong Kong Time

Hong Kong Time is UTC+8 all year round. Due to longitude, Hong Kong has the same time as that in the rest of China. Therefore, Hong Kong Time is actually in the same time zone as the Chinese Standard Time. Greenwich Mean Time was adopted as the basis in 1904, and UTC was adopted as a standard in 1972. Before that, local time was determined by astronomical observations at the Hong Kong Observatory using a 6-inch Lee Equatorial and a 3-inch Transit Circle.

Macau

Main article: Macau Standard Time

The Macau Standard Time is, like the rest of China, in the UTC+8 time zone all year round. Similar to Hong Kong, there was daylight saving time in the past. However, the low latitude in Macau makes it unnecessary to adopt a daylight saving time.

See also

• China Standard Time
• UTC+8

External links

Government departments responsible for time services:

• National Time Service Center, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (People's Republic of China, responsible for time standard in mainland China)
• Hong Kong Observatory (Hong Kong)
• Direccão dos Servicos Meterológicos e Geofisicos (Macau)
• Nation Standard Time and Frequency Laboratory, Bureau of Standards, Metrology & Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs (Republic of China)

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