China Time: Zones and Time Differences

*Source: Wikimedia Commons

Although geographically China spans five time zones, all clocks throughout China are set eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

That means that as you travel within China, you will never have to adjust your watch. Whether you travel from Beijing in the East, to Sichuan in the West, there will not be a time difference.

It is different than when you travel for example from Florida (Eastern Time) to California (Pacific Time) and then have to adjust your watch back three hours.

The only time difference you will need to worry about is the one from your home country to China and getting used to the "new time" upon arrival.

Here is a comparison to use as a guideline:

Time Differences between some Major Cities and China
IF YOU'RE FLYING FROM		SET YOUR WATCH
Country	City	+/- hours
America
USA	New York	-13
USA	Miami	-13
USA	Chicago	-14
USA	San Francisco	-16
USA	Honolulu	-18
Canada	Vancouver	-16
Canada	Toronto	-13
Mexico	Mexico City	-14
Brazil	Sao Paulo	-11
Chile	Santiago	-12
Panama	Panama	-13
Argentina	Buenos Aires	-11
Colombia	Bogotá	-13
Europe
United Kingdom	London	-8
France	Paris	-7
Spain	Madrid	-7
Netherlands	Amsterdam	-7
Germany	Frankfurt	-7
Switzerland	Zurich	-7
Finland	Helsinki	-6
Russia	Moscow	-5
Asia
UAE	Dubai	-4
India	Bombay	-2:30
Iraq	Baghdad	-5
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	0
Thailand	Bangkok	-1
Singapore	Singapore	0
Vietnam	Hanoi	-1
Indonesia	Jakarta	-1
Japan	Tokyo	+1
South Korea	Seoul	+1
Australasia
Australia	Sydney	+2
Australia	Perth	0
New Zealand	Auckland	+4
Fiji	Suva	+4
Tahiti	Papeete	-18
Africa
Egypt	Cairo	-6
South Africa	Johannesburg	-6
South Africa	Cape Town	-6
Kenya	Nairobi	-5
Nigeria	Lagos	-7

Also note that there is no Daylight Savings Time in China, if your country observes DST you will need to adjust the above table accordingly.

People react and are affected differently when flying accross time zones. Here are a couple of things we have found useful during our long-haul flights:

• Drink plenty of fluids to keep hydrated
• Wear comfortable clothes
• Avoid fatty foods and caffeine
• Kids seem to be immune to jetlag, bring plenty of stuff to keep them entertained in the long flight if it is a day flight

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