China's single time zone
Also called: Beijing Time · Topic: Latitude, Longitude and Time · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
China spans about 60° of longitude. That is wide enough for about five natural time zones. Yet the whole country uses one time, Beijing Time (UTC+8). A single time helps unity and makes national administration simpler. But in the far west, the clock no longer matches the sun.
Example
In western Xinjiang, the winter sunrise can come around 10 a.m. by Beijing Time. Many locals there unofficially keep a time two hours behind Beijing Time.
Don't confuse with
- Russia's time zones: Russia is also very wide but uses 11 zones. China uses just one.