Current time in Shanghai
World time board
Shanghai · ChinaUTC+08:00
01:30 PMFRI 02.10.2026
Now 01:30 PM|Live
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Work–
daydawn / dusknight
- Time zone
- Asia/Shanghai
- UTC offset
- UTC+08:00
- Abbreviation
- CST
- Daylight saving time
- Not observed
- Country
- China
- Population
- 24,874,500
Shanghai time difference
How far Shanghai is ahead of or behind the world's main business hubs right now. Daylight saving time is already applied where it is in effect.
| Compared with | Time difference | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|
| London | 7h behindChanges with DST | UTC+01:00 |
| New York City | 12h behindChanges with DST | UTC-04:00 |
| Los Angeles | 15h behindChanges with DST | UTC-07:00 |
| Chicago | 13h behindChanges with DST | UTC-05:00 |
| Tokyo | 1h ahead | UTC+09:00 |
| Dubai | 4h behind | UTC+04:00 |
Clock changes in Shanghai
Shanghai does not change its clocks: UTC+08:00 applies all year.
Sunrise, sunset and solar time in Shanghai
- Sunrise today
- 5:48 AM
- Sunset today
- 5:38 PM
- Day length today
- 11 hours 51 minutes
- Solar noon today
- 11:43 AM
- Longest day
- 14 hours 11 minutes (June 21)
- Shortest day
- 10 hours 7 minutes (December 21)
Standard time in Shanghai closely follows the sun: solar noon comes at about 11:54 AM.
Time zone history since 1970
Seasonal clock changes: 1986–1991. The last one was on September 15, 1991; since then Shanghai has stayed on UTC+08:00 all year.
Source: IANA time zone database, version 2025b.
Worth knowing
Shanghai uses Beijing time, UTC+8, like the rest of China, and has not changed its clocks since 1991. It lies just east of the 120° E meridian that defines UTC+8, so its clock is closely aligned with the sun.
Sources: IANA tz database: asia
Frequently asked questions
- What time zone is Shanghai in?
- Shanghai uses the Asia/Shanghai (CST) time zone and is currently on UTC+08:00.
- Does Shanghai observe daylight saving time?
- No. Shanghai stays on UTC+08:00 all year. Daylight saving time was last used there in 1991.