While Europe is debating the meaning of seasonal time changes, China has been the largest country operating in one permanent time zone for over 70 years. While this seemingly simplifies life, it also serves as a warning against ignoring geography and biology in the name of political convenience.
China geographically covers an area of over 5,000 km2. km, which would naturally translate into five time zones.
However, immediately after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China, the so-called New China, in 1949, the decision was made to establish one time zone, known as “Beijing Time” or China Standard Time (CST), which is eight hours ahead of universal time (UTC+8; this time is 6 hours ahead of summer time in Poland and 7 hours ahead of winter time) throughout the year.
The communist authorities then abolished the system of five time zones (from UTC+5:30 to UTC+8:30), previously introduced by the Government of the Republic of China. It was a conscious political act.
The unification of time was intended to be a powerful symbol of national unity and the centralization of power in Beijing. The slogan “one China, one time zone” became the foundation for building a new, centralized state in which the clock, like the language and currency, was to unite the vast territory.
Today, the consequences of this decision are felt most in the West. In regions such as Xinjiang or Tibet, where natural solar time is delayed by two or even three hours compared to Beijing, everyday life takes place in a kind of dualism. Official working hours, e.g. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in practice mean working in the morning darkness and a constant conflict between the internal biological clock, synchronized by sunlight, and the social clock imposed by the administration.
Scientists call this phenomenon chronic “social jetlag.” Scientific research published, among others, in the journal “Sleep Medicine” provide evidence of its harmfulness. An analysis of data from 31 Chinese provinces showed that geographic position within one time zone explains 15-18 percent. variability in life expectancy, to the clear disadvantage of Westerners. Other studies correlate persistent circadian misalignment with an increased risk of depression and obesity.
To cope with this uncomfortable situation, residents of the western regions, especially Xinjiang, have developed a double time system. For official matters, at railway stations and airports, Beijing time applies. However, everyday life, conversations and local bazaars are dominated by the unofficial “Xinjiang time”, shifted by two hours (UTC+6). When saying: “Let's meet at two”, you should always make sure what time you mean.
Local companies and offices in Xinjiang also often operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Beijing time, which corresponds to the more natural 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local solar time.
For the Uyghurs, the Turkic Muslim minority, using local time has also become a form of silent resistance and a manifestation of cultural distinctiveness against Beijing's domination.
However, it should be remembered that approximately 6% of people live in western China. population, while the remaining 94 percent concentrated in the eastern part.
One official zone and local time dualism also create economic and practical challenges.
Companies operating on a nationwide scale struggle with coordinating work between the East and the West. While offices in Shanghai end their day at 5 p.m., the sun is still high in Kashgar and the local workday is in full swing.
Reports by Deloitte and KPMG point out that managing east-west operations and meetings is inefficient, which is a constant challenge to productivity for national companies.
Significantly, China also experimented with daylight saving time between 1986 and 1991, mainly to save electricity. According to official estimates, the benefits were tangible but small. For example, in 1986 it resulted in an estimated 700 million kilowatt hours of savings. However, Chinese authorities considered that the administrative and logistical costs of the changes, especially conflicting flight, train and bus schedules, were too high for a centralized state.
This decision shows the priorities of an authoritarian state: control and stability are more valuable than economic optimization.
For Europe, the Chinese lesson, although it is an extreme example, is clear: giving up the time change is one thing, but the key is what permanent time will be chosen.
Establishing a standard that permanently breaks everyday life from the natural day and night cycle carries tangible health, social and economic costs that China has experienced for decades.
From Beijing Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)
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