(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Xinjiang Time - Wikipedia
Wikipedia

Xinjiang Time

Xinjiang Time (Chinese: 新しん疆时间; pinyin: Xīnjiāng shíjiān), also known as Ürümqi Time (Chinese: 乌鲁木き齐时间; pinyin: Wūlǔmùqí Shíjiān), is a time standard used in Xinjiang, China. It is used alongside Beijing Time, which is widely observed by the rest of the country. The time offset is UTC+06:00, which is two hours behind Beijing Time and is the same offset used by Kyrgyzstan. This offset accounts for Xinjiang's geographical location in the westernmost part of China.[1][2][3]

Hotel clocks in Ili, Xinjiang, showing the local time in Moscow, Beijing, and Xinjiang

History

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Xinjiang Time has been abolished and re-established multiple times, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. In February 1986, the Chinese government approved the use of Xinjiang Time (UTC+06:00) in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (thus excluding area colonized by Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps) for civil purposes, while military, railroad, aviation, and telecommunication sectors were supposed to continue using Beijing Time (UTC+08:00).[4][3] However, the decision was rejected by the local ethnic Han population and some Han-dominated regional governments.[5]

Usage

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The location of Xinjiang in China

The choice of time zone used in Xinjiang is roughly split along the ethnic divide, with most of the Han population observing Beijing Time, and most of the Uyghur population and some other ethnic groups following Xinjiang Time.[6] Accordingly, the Xinjiang Television network schedules its Chinese channel according to Beijing Time and its Uyghur and Kazakh channels according to Xinjiang Time.[7] In some areas, local authorities use both time standards side by side.[8][9]

The coexistence of two time zones within the same region causes some confusion among the local population, especially when members of multiple ethnic groups want to communicate with each other: whenever a time is mentioned, it is necessary to explicitly state whether the time is Xinjiang Time or Beijing Time, or to convert the time according to the ethnicity of the target audience.[10][11][12] Additionally, some ethnic Han in Xinjiang might not be aware of the existence of Xinjiang Time because of the language barrier.[13]

Xinjiang residents who use Beijing Time typically schedule their activities two hours after the usual time that those activities would be performed in Eastern China in order to match the sunrise and sunset times. For example, if everyone in Beijing wakes up when the sun rises at 8:00 AM Beijing Time, then Xinjiang residents would plan to wake up at 10:00 AM Beijing Time, because this is when the sunrise would occur in Xinjiang. This is known in Xinjiang as the Xinjiang work/rest time.[14]

In 2014, Apple Inc. released an update to its iOS mobile operating system that silently changed the default time for users in Xinjiang to Xinjiang Time. This change caused alarms that had been set using Beijing Time to ring two hours later than expected, resulting in a disruption of daily activities on the day after the change was released.[15]

In 2018, according to Human Rights Watch, a Uyghur man was arrested and sent to a detention center because he set his watch to Xinjiang Time.[16][17]

IANA time zone database

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The territory using Xinjiang Time is covered in the IANA time zone database by the following zones.

Columns marked with * are from the zone.tab file of the database.

c.c.* coordinates* TZ* comments* Standard time Summer time Notes
CN +4348+08735 Asia/Urumqi Xinjiang Time tUTC+06:00 —
CN Asia/Kashgar tUTC+06:00 — Linked to Asia/Urumqi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2 节气、数すう九きゅう、昼ひる长、乌鲁木き齐时间". 新しん疆气象ぞう手しゅ册さつ (in Chinese). 新しん疆兴农网. 2011-02-22. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  2. ^ "冷ひや知ち识："北京ぺきん时间"的てき由来ゆらい". 新しん华网. 3 November 2015. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b GUO, Qing-sheng (2001). "中国ちゅうごく标准时制考こう" [A Study on the Standard Time Changes for the Past 100 Years in China] (PDF). China Historical Materials of Science and Technology (in Chinese (China)). 22 (3): 269–280. 1000-0798(2001)03-0269-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 9 December 2016.中国ちゅうごく标准时制考こう
  4. ^ "法定ほうてい时与北京ぺきん时间". 人民じんみん教育きょういく出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006.
  5. ^ 王おう力雄りきお (2007). 我が的てき西域せいいき，你的東ひがし土ど：沒ぼつ有人ゆうじん曾經，或ある可能かのう如此解讀かいどく新しん疆與維吾爾なんじ人じん. 大だい塊かたまり出版しゅっぱん. ISBN 9789862130117.
  6. ^ "【讀書どくしょ時間じかん】在ざい時間じかん的てき悟さとる透とおる里さと跋涉ばっしょう或ある存在そんざい".
  7. ^ 小康しょうこう. "北京ぺきん时间的てき概念がいねん". 西安しーあん同どう步ふ电子科技かぎ有限ゆうげん公司こうし.
  8. ^ Ingram, Ruth (September 2013). "Bending Time in Xinjiang".
  9. ^ adilniyaz (2008-08-26). "作さく息いき时间". Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.
  10. ^ 赫海威い (17 June 2016). "10点てん日出にっしゅつ，半夜はんや吃ども饭，在ざい新しん疆用北京ぺきん时间的てき烦恼". New York Times.
  11. ^ 南みなみ香が红 (2003-09-25). "【城市じょうし】乌鲁木き齐：没ぼつ有屋ありや顶的博物はくぶつ馆". 南方みなかた周あまね末まつ. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21.
  12. ^ Demick, Barbara (31 March 2009). "Clocks square off in China's far west". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ Luther Ma's note in IANA time zone database file
  14. ^ "政せい协委员建议：调整新しん疆单位い作さく息いき时间". 网易新しん闻中心ちゅうしん. 2014-01-17.
  15. ^ 盖煜 (2014-09-26). "乌鲁木き齐市民しみん反映はんえい:苹果りんご系けい统升级后自じ动选择新疆时区く". 凤凰资讯.
  16. ^ Alexandra Ma (September 9, 2018). "China reportedly detained a man on terrorist charges because he set his watch 2 hours behind Beijing time". Business Insider.
  17. ^ ""Eradicating Ideological Viruses" China's Campaign of Repression Against Xinjiang's Muslims". Human Rights Watch. September 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023. I know of a guy … who was taken away for having set his watch to [the unofficial] Urumqi time – they say that's what makes him suspicious for terrorism.
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