What time zone does Shanghai use?

Shanghai uses China Standard Time (CST), which is UTC+8. This applies to all of mainland China — there is only one official time zone for the entire country.

Does Shanghai observe daylight saving time?

No. China abolished daylight saving time in 1991. Shanghai stays at UTC+8 throughout the entire year.

Is this clock accurate?

Yes. The clock is derived from your device's system clock and converted to UTC+8 using the browser's built-in Intl API. As long as your device clock is correct, the displayed time will be accurate.

What is the difference between Shanghai time and UTC?

Shanghai (UTC+8) is exactly 8 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For example, when it is 00:00 UTC, it is 08:00 in Shanghai.

What is the difference between Shanghai time and New York (EST)?

Shanghai is 13 hours ahead of New York Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5), and 12 hours ahead during Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4).

What is the difference between Shanghai time and London (GMT)?

Shanghai (UTC+8) is 8 hours ahead of London when the UK is on GMT (winter), and 7 hours ahead when the UK is on BST (summer, UTC+1).

Current Time in Shanghai

See the exact current time in Shanghai, China (UTC+8) with a live clock updating every second.

Shanghai, China

--:--:--

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UTC+8 · China Standard Time

Time Details

Time Zone Asia/Shanghai

UTC Offset UTC+8:00

Daylight Saving Not observed

Your Local Time --:--:--

Difference from You Calculating...

Unix Timestamp --

Shanghai vs. Major Cities

Summary

This tool displays the live local time in Shanghai, China, which follows the Asia/Shanghai time zone at UTC+8 year-round — China does not observe daylight saving time. The clock updates every second directly in your browser using the JavaScript Intl API, so no server request is needed and the displayed time is always accurate.

How it works

Your browser reads the current UTC timestamp.
JavaScript converts the timestamp to the Asia/Shanghai time zone (UTC+8) using the Intl.DateTimeFormat API.
The clock display updates every second via setInterval.
The date, day of week, UTC offset, and Unix timestamp are shown alongside the time.
No data is sent to any server — everything runs locally in your browser.

Use cases

Check what time it is in Shanghai before scheduling a business call.
Verify the Shanghai time for international meeting invitations.
Confirm trading hours for the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Coordinate with colleagues or clients based in Shanghai.
Understand the UTC+8 offset relative to your local time.
Students learning about world time zones and UTC offsets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-11 · Reviewed by Nham Vu