Time zone
CST — the standard abbreviation for Shanghai.
Current local time
Current Time in Shanghai
Find the current time in Shanghai, China. Shanghai uses China Standard Time at UTC+8, the single zone shared by the entire country, with no daylight saving.
14:13:14
Saturday, June 20, 2026
China Standard Time — UTC+8
Shanghai time zone at a glance
The key facts for Shanghai, China, and how its clock relates to UTC.
About time in Shanghai
Shanghai keeps China Standard Time at UTC+8, and remarkably the whole of China runs on this one clock even though the country spans roughly five geographic time zones from coast to far west. Be careful with the abbreviation CST here: it means China Standard Time, not US Central Standard Time, which also uses the letters CST but a completely different offset. China dropped daylight saving in the early 1990s, so the clock stays fixed all year. That means a sunrise in western China can come surprisingly late by the clock.
Shanghai does not observe daylight saving time, so it keeps a fixed offset of UTC+8 (no DST) every day of the year. The live clock above reads Shanghai's local time directly from the IANA time zone database in your browser, so it stays accurate through daylight-saving transitions without any manual adjustment. To plan a call or convert a specific moment, use the timezone converter or meeting planner linked below.
Frequently asked questions about Shanghai time
Does all of China use the same time as Shanghai?
Yes. Despite spanning about five geographic zones, China runs entirely on China Standard Time at UTC+8, the same clock as Shanghai.
Is CST in Shanghai the same as US Central Standard Time?
No. In Shanghai, CST means China Standard Time at UTC+8. US Central Standard Time shares the abbreviation but is a separate North American zone.
Does Shanghai observe daylight saving time?
No. China abandoned daylight saving in the early 1990s, so Shanghai stays on UTC+8 year-round.
Current time in other cities
Compare Shanghai with other major world clocks.
Hong Kong Current local time in Hong Kong, Hong Kong (UTC+8 (no DST)). Tokyo Current local time in Tokyo, Japan (UTC+9 (no DST)). Seoul Current local time in Seoul, South Korea (UTC+9 (no DST)). Beijing Current local time in Beijing, China (UTC+8 (no DST)). Taipei Current local time in Taipei, Taiwan (UTC+8 (no DST)). New York Current local time in New York, United States (UTC-5 (UTC-4 in summer)).
Time tools for Shanghai
Learn about time zones
Background guides that explain how Shanghai's clock relates to the rest of the world.