Input Time
Conversion Result
| UTC | -- |
| Beijing Time | -- |
| Unix Timestamp | -- |
Instantly convert Coordinated Universal Time (UTC/GMT) to China Standard Time (CST) in UTC+8
| UTC | -- |
| Beijing Time | -- |
| Unix Timestamp | -- |
The "atomic time" system maintained by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), with an error <1 second per year, serving as the global synchronized reference time.
Based on the prime meridian at the Greenwich Observatory in the UK. Now replaced by UTC, but still commonly referred to as "Greenwich Time" in daily life.
China Standard Time, UTC+8, East 8th Zone. Used uniformly nationwide, no daylight saving time, covering 9.6×10⁶ km².
Number of seconds since UTC 1970-01-01 00:00:00. Cross-platform, no timezone ambiguity, commonly used in databases and logs.
After 1949, the entire country adopted East 8th Zone time uniformly, based on Beijing's 116°E meridian, covering all of China, with no daylight saving time.
China briefly implemented daylight saving time (UTC+9) from 1986–1991, but stopped in 1992. Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan also did not resume it, thus UTC+8 is maintained year-round.
Many developers and travelers see both "UTC" and "GMT" abbreviations when checking time, but what's the actual difference?
1. Historical Origin
GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) was born at the 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington, using the mean solar time at the Greenwich Observatory's meridian as the world standard. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) was officially adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1972, redefined using atomic clock seconds, with precision controlled within ±0.9 seconds.
2. Precision Difference
GMT is based on Earth's rotation, affected by axial wobble, drifting about 1 second per year; UTC stays synchronized with Earth's rotation through a "leap second" mechanism, with minimal error.
3. Practical Application
Aviation, finance, and internet protocols (e.g., NTP) all use UTC as the baseline; GMT appears more in maritime and astronomical contexts.
Conclusion：For daily development, consistently use UTC to avoid ambiguity from GMT.
China spans from East 5th Zone to East 9th Zone geographically, yet uniformly uses "Beijing Time" (CST, UTC+8) nationwide.
1. Geographic Span
From Kashgar in Xinjiang to Fuyuan in Heilongjiang, there's a 4-time-zone difference east to west. For administrative, transportation, and communication convenience, East 8th Zone was adopted in 1949.
2. Historical Decision
In 1912, the Republic of China government established 5 standard time zones; starting October 1, 1949, UTC+8 was enforced nationwide.
3. Daylight Saving Time Episode
Daylight saving time (UTC+9) was briefly implemented from 1986–1991. Due to limited energy savings and public confusion, it was abolished on April 1, 1992.
4. Implication for Developers
Store time uniformly in UTC within China; add +8 for frontend display to avoid bugs from "cross-region business trips".
Daylight Saving Time (DST) advances clocks by 1 hour in spring and sets them back in fall to make better use of daylight and save energy.
1. Global Overview
Over 70 countries including the EU, USA, and Canada still implement DST; Russia abolished it in 2014, China in 1992.
2. China's Trial Retrospective
From 1986–1991, DST was implemented nationwide from mid-April to mid-September annually, resulting in energy savings of less than 0.2% while increasing scheduling costs for railways, aviation, and broadcasting.
3. Reasons for Abolition
① China's large east-west span makes uniform UTC+8 sufficient; ② DST caused schedule confusion; ③ Limited energy-saving effect.
4. Development Tip
China is UTC+8 year-round; no need to consider DST. For overseas systems, use the IANA timezone database `Asia/Shanghai`.
Whether it's logs, databases, or APIs, improper time handling can lead to 8-hour "ghost" differences.
1. Storage: Use UTC Uniformly
new Date().toISOString() // Returns 2023-12-01T12:34:56.789Z
2. Display: Localization on Frontend
new Date('2023-12-01T12:34:56Z').toLocaleString('zh-CN', {timeZone:'Asia/Shanghai'})
3. Database
MySQL: `timestamp` automatically converts to UTC; when writing, use `CONVERT_TZ(now(), '+00:00', '+08:00')`.
4. Linux Server
timedatectl set-timezone Asia/Shanghai
5. Online Tool
Use this page for real-time conversion to quickly verify code logic.