China is a country of very long distances and very different regions: imperial Beijing, the skyscrapers of Shanghai, the limestone peaks of Guilin, the spicy food of Sichuan and the mountains of Yunnan. A fast and extensive rail network makes it easier to travel around than its size suggests, and the whole country officially keeps one clock, Beijing time.
China for visitors
Most first trips start in Beijing, with the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, old hutong lanes and day trips to the Great Wall. Shanghai, on the coast, is China's biggest commercial city: the riverfront Bund, modern towers across the river in Pudong, and classical gardens in nearby Suzhou and Hangzhou. Xi'an, an old imperial capital in central China, is the base for the Terracotta Army and has one of the best-preserved city walls in the country.
The south and west
Guilin and the small town of Yangshuo, in the south, sit among steep limestone hills along the Li River; most people come for river trips, cycling and walking through the countryside. Sichuan, in the south-west, is known for its fiery cuisine and for Chengdu, where you can see giant pandas at breeding centres. Yunnan, further south-west, is higher and more varied: old towns such as Lijiang and Dali, snow mountains, tea-growing hills and a mix of ethnic minority cultures. The far west, with its deserts and high plateaus, is a long journey from the eastern cities and is a trip of its own.
Getting around
China's high-speed rail network links almost every major city, and for journeys of a few hours it is usually the easiest option: frequent, comfortable and centrally located. Domestic flights cover the longest distances, for example from the east coast to the far west. Big cities have large, modern metro systems with signs in English as well as Chinese. You will need your passport to buy train tickets and to check in at hotels.
Daily life runs largely on mobile payment apps, and paying by scanning a QR code with your phone is normal even at market stalls and in taxis. Many visitors set up one of the main payment apps with a foreign card before they travel. Cash is still legal tender, but small businesses may not always have change, so it helps to have both.
Time in China
Officially, the whole of China runs on a single time, Beijing Time, also called China Standard Time. It is UTC+8 all year. In the IANA time zone database the zone is called Asia/Shanghai, after Shanghai, but it is the same clock as in Beijing.
The zones box on this page shows 2 offsets because the database also lists Xinjiang Time, UTC+6, a local time that some people in Xinjiang, in the far north-west, use informally ([1]). Beijing time remains the official time, and trains and flights across the country, including in Xinjiang, run on it. If you travel there, check which time is meant when you arrange to meet someone.
China does not use daylight saving time. It tried it from 1986 to 1991 and then dropped it ([2]). Because one clock covers such a wide country, the sun rises and sets much later by the clock in the west than in the east: in the far west, winter mornings stay dark long after you would expect.
Right now Beijing is 8 hours ahead of London, 1 hour behind Tokyo and the same time as Singapore. The gap with Europe and North America changes by an hour when they switch to and from summer time. For calls home, the European morning is the Chinese afternoon, while the US East Coast evening is the next morning in China. Flights from Europe and the Americas are long and cross many time zones: plan a light first day.
Climate and weather
China's climate ranges from long, freezing winters in the north-east to tropical warmth on Hainan island in the far south. Much of the north, including Beijing, has a monsoon-influenced continental climate: very cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers when most of the rain falls. The south and the Yangtze region, including Shanghai and Guilin, are humid subtropical, with mild winters and long, hot, wet summers.
Altitude shapes the west. The Sichuan basin is often overcast and humid. The Yunnan plateau is mild for much of the year, which is why its capital, Kunming, is known as the "city of eternal spring". The Tibetan Plateau is high, dry and cold, and the deserts of the north-west have hot summers and bitter winters.
The East Asian monsoon drives the year. In winter, cold, dry winds blow from Siberia and Mongolia; in summer, warm, moist air from the Pacific brings rain. In early summer a long band of rain, the "plum rains", settles over the Yangtze valley for several weeks. Typhoons can bring heavy rain and strong winds to the south and east coasts from summer into autumn.
In Beijing, average highs range from 2°C in January to 32°C in July. The city gets about 528 mm of rain a year, most of it in summer, with July the wettest month. In spring, dust from the deserts to the north-west can turn the sky yellow for a day or two, and on still winter days air quality can drop in the northern cities; our explainer on the air quality index helps you read the daily readings.
Best time to visit China
For a classic first trip through Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Guilin, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, with mild temperatures and less rain than in summer. Autumn usually brings the clearest skies in the north.
Summer is hot, humid and wet in the east and south, but it is the best season for the high plateaus, the northern grasslands and the mountains of the west, where the rest of the year is cold. Winter is cold and dry in the north, quiet at the big sights and the season for the ice and snow festival in Harbin, in the north-east; the far south, including Hainan, is pleasantly warm then.
Domestic holidays matter more than the weather for crowds. The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), which falls in January or February, and the National Day holiday in the first week of October set off huge movements of people, with full trains and crowded sights. The early-May holiday is busy too. If you can, travel either side of them.
Practical facts
- Capital: Beijing.
- Population: about 1.42 billion (UN World Population Prospects 2024, 2023 estimate).
- Currency: Chinese yuan (CNY). Mobile payment apps are the usual way to pay; international cards work in larger hotels and some shops, and cash is accepted but less used.
- Language: Mandarin Chinese, the official language, with many regional languages and dialects. English is limited outside hotels and the main tourist areas, so a translation app and your hotel's name written in Chinese characters are very useful.
- Calling code: +86.
- Tipping: not customary in most restaurants or taxis.
- Driving: on the right. Most visitors use trains, metros, taxis and ride-hailing apps rather than driving.
- Emergency numbers: 110 for the police, 120 for an ambulance and 119 for the fire service ([3]).
Plan your trip with hoyoopin
- Beijing city guide: dry winters, dusty springs, stormy summers and clear autumns month by month, what to pack, and how China's single clock works.
- World Clock: Beijing time next to your own and other cities.
- Weather: live conditions and the forecast for Shanghai, Xi'an or any other city in China.
- Asia: time zones and key facts for every country on the continent.
- Further reading: world time zones and UTC explained.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is China in?
China uses Beijing Time (China Standard Time), UTC+8, all year. Its IANA identifier is Asia/Shanghai.
How many time zones does China have?
Officially one. The tz database also lists Xinjiang Time, a local time some people in Xinjiang use informally, but official time, trains and flights everywhere follow Beijing time.
Does China have daylight saving time?
No. China used daylight saving time from 1986 to 1991 and has kept the same time all year since ([2]).
What is the best time to visit China?
Spring and autumn suit most routes. Summer is best for the high west and the northern grasslands, winter for Harbin's ice festival and the tropical south. Avoid the Spring Festival and the first week of October if you can.
Do I need a mobile payment app in China?
It makes life much easier, as paying by phone is normal almost everywhere. Carry some cash and an international card as a back-up.
Sources
- tz mailing list: Paul Eggert on Asia/Urumqi and Chinese time zones (1 January 2017): Xinjiang time is used by many in western China; some people there use +06 and some use +08 (Beijing time).
- tz database, asia file (DragonFly BSD mirror): the PRC rules show daylight saving time from 1986 to 1991.
- GOV.UK: China, getting help: ambulance 120, fire 119, police 110.