HSK 5 · Article · 858 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/why-does-china-have-only-one-time-zone

为什么中国只有一个时区?

Why does China have only one time zone?

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一yī月yuè的de喀什kāshí,早上zǎoshang九jiǔ点diǎn。闹钟nàozhōng准时zhǔnshí响xiǎng了le,窗外chuāngwài却què还是háishi黑漆漆hēiqīqī的de,路灯lùdēng亮liàng着zhe,天上tiānshàng还hái挂guà着zhe几jǐ颗kē星星xīngxing。同一tóngyì时刻shíkè,三千多sānqiānduō公里gōnglǐ外wài的de北京běijīng,太阳tàiyáng已经yǐjīng升起shēngqǐ一个yígè多duō小时xiǎoshí了le。而ér在zài喀什kāshí,你nǐ得děi等到děngdào十shí点diǎn以后yǐhòu,才cái能néng看见kànjiàn第一dìyī缕lǚ阳光yángguāng。按àn太阳tàiyáng的de钟zhōng算suàn,这会儿zhèhuìr其实qíshí才cái六liù点diǎn左右zuǒyòu。

喀什kāshí的de钟zhōng并bìng没有méiyǒu出毛病chūmáobìng。全quán中国zhōngguó用yòng的de都dōu是shì同tóng一个yígè时间shíjiān,也yě就是jiùshì北京běijīng时间shíjiān,属于shǔyú东八区。可是kěshì中国zhōngguó的de国土guótǔ从cóng西xī到dào东dōng横跨héngkuà六十多liùshíduō个gè经度jīngdù,按àn国际guójì上shàng通行tōngxíng的de划分huàfēn,大约dàyuē要yào跨kuà五wǔ个gè时shí区qū。

喀什kāshí和hé北京běijīng几乎jīhū在zài同一tóngyì纬度wěidù,白天báitiān也yě差不多chàbuduō一样yíyàng长cháng,可kě喀什kāshí的de太阳tàiyáng,作息zuòxī却què比bǐ北京běijīng晚wǎn了le两个半小时liǎnggèbànxiǎoshí还hái多duō。冬至dōngzhì那nà几jǐ天tiān的de下午xiàwǔ三sān点diǎn,喀什kāshí的de太阳tàiyáng才cái刚gāng爬pá到dào最高zuìgāo处chù,而ér在zài中国zhōngguó最zuì东端dōngduān的de黑龙江省hēilóngjiāngshěng抚远fúyuǎn,太阳tàiyáng已经yǐjīng快kuài落山luòshān了le。从cóng喀什kāshí再zài往wǎng西南xīnán走zǒu,到dào了le中国zhōngguó和hé阿富汗āfùhàn交界jiāojiè的de地方dìfang,边界biānjiè两边liǎngbiān的de钟zhōng足足zúzú相差xiāngchà三个半小时sāngèbànxiǎoshí。

其实qíshí,中国zhōngguó并bìng不是búshì一直yìzhí只zhǐ看kàn一yì只zhī钟zhōng。1918年nián,当时dāngshí的de中央zhōngyāng观象台guānxiàngtái提出tíchū把bǎ全国quánguó分成fēnchéng五wǔ个gè时shí区qū:东北dōngběi叫jiào长白chángbái,东部dōngbù和hé中部zhōngbù的de大部分dàbùfen地区dìqū叫jiào中原zhōngyuán,甘肃gānsù、四川sìchuān一带yídài叫jiào陇蜀,新疆xīnjiāng和hé西藏xīzàng则zé分成fēnchéng新xīn藏zàng、昆仑kūnlún两liǎng个gè时shí区qū。后来hòulái政府zhèngfǔ也yě正式zhèngshì公布gōngbù过guò这zhè个gè方案fāng’àn,可kě真正zhēnzhèng实行shíxíng的de地方dìfang,主要zhǔyào在zài沿海yánhǎi。1949年nián以后yǐhòu,各地gèdì陆续lùxù改用gǎiyòng北京时间běijīng-shíjiān,地图dìtú上shàng的de五wǔ个gè时shí区qū,渐渐jiànjiàn变成biànchéng了le一个yígè。

可是kěshì太阳tàiyáng不会búhuì跟着gēnzhe改gǎi。在zài新疆xīnjiāng,不少bùshǎo人rén心里xīnli还有háiyǒu另lìng一yì只zhī钟zhōng,叫jiào“新疆xīnjiāng时间shíjiān”,比bǐ北京běijīng时间shíjiān晚wǎn两liǎng个gè小时xiǎoshí。1986年nián,它tā还hái得到dédào了le官方guānfāng的de正式zhèngshì承认chéngrèn,叫jiào“乌鲁木齐wūlǔ-mùqí时间shíjiān”。于是yúshì在zài那里nàlǐ约yuē人rén见面jiànmiàn,常常chángcháng得děi先xiān问wèn一yí句jù:“你nǐ说shuō的de是shì北京běijīng时间shíjiān,还是háishi新疆xīnjiāng时间shíjiān?”这zhè还hái算suàn简单jiǎndān的de。从cóng1986年nián到dào1991年nián,全国quánguó还hái实行shíxíng过guò夏令时xiàlìngshí,据说jùshuō那nà几jǐ年nián的de新疆xīnjiāng,同一tóngyì时刻shíkè能néng有yǒu四sì种zhǒng时间shíjiān在zài用yòng。

幸好xìnghǎo火车huǒchē和hé飞机fēijī不用búyòng操心cāoxīn,一律yílǜ用yòng北京běijīng时间shíjiān。日常rìcháng作息zuòxī呢ne,就jiù整个zhěnggè往wǎng后hòu挪nuó。不少bùshǎo单位dānwèi上午shàngwǔ十shí点diǎn才cái上班shàngbān,下午xiàwǔ两liǎng点diǎn吃chī午饭wǔfàn,晚上wǎnshang八bā点diǎn下班xiàbān,学校xuéxiào的de作息zuòxī也yě跟着gēnzhe推迟tuīchí。到dào了le夏天xiàtiān,喀什kāshí的de太阳tàiyáng要yào到dào晚上wǎnshang十点半shídiǎnbàn左右zuǒyòu才cái落山luòshān,快kuài十一shíyī点diǎn,天色tiānsè才cái真正zhēnzhèng黑hēi下来xiàlai。

这样zhèyàng到底dàodǐ好不好hǎobuhǎo?支持zhīchí的de人rén说shuō,一个yígè国家guójiā一yì只zhī钟zhōng,既jì省事shěngshì,又yòu象征xiàngzhēng着zhe团结tuánjié:火车huǒchē时刻表shíkèbiǎo和hé电视diànshì新闻xīnwén都dōu不用búyòng换算huànsuàn,而且érqiě全国quánguó九成jiǔchéng以上yǐshàng的de人口rénkǒu住zhù在zài东南半壁dōngnán-bànbì,北京běijīng时间shíjiān对duì他们tāmen正zhèng合适héshì。反对fǎnduì的de人rén说shuō,为了wèile这zhè份fèn方便fāngbiàn,西部xībù的de人rén一年到头yìnián-dàotóu都dōu跟gēn太阳tàiyáng“倒时差dàoshíchà”,一yí句jù简单jiǎndān的de“十shí点diǎn见jiàn”,也yě得děi多duō问wèn一yí句jù。两边liǎngbiān都dōu有yǒu道理dàoli。

最后zuìhòu还有háiyǒu个gè小xiǎo秘密mìmì:北京běijīng时间shíjiān其实qíshí不是búshì在zài北京běijīng“造zào”出来chūlái的de。它tā由yóu陕西shǎnxī西安市xī’ānshì临潼区líntóngqū的de国家guójiā授时shòushí中心zhōngxīn用yòng原子钟yuánzǐzhōng产生chǎnshēng,再zài从cóng七十qīshí公里gōnglǐ外wài的de蒲城púchéng用yòng无线电wúxiàndiàn发出fāchū去qù。也就是说yějiùshìshuō,喀什kāshí人rén在zài黑暗hēi’àn里等děng太阳tàiyáng的de时候shíhou,钟zhōng上shàng那个nàge“北京běijīng时间shíjiān”,老家lǎojiā其实qíshí在zài陕西shǎnxī。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
闹钟nàozhōngalarm clock
天上tiānshàngin the sky; in heaven
颗kēclassifier for small round things (grains, pearls, teeth, hearts, stars)
同一tóngyìsame; identical
时刻shíkèmoment; time
属于shǔyúto belong to; to be part of
处chùplace
地区dìqūregion; area
藏zàngto hide; to conceal
政府zhèngfǔgovernment
公布gōngbùto announce; to make public; to publish
方案fāng’ànplan; scheme; program

English (for the teacher)

January in Kashgar, nine in the morning. The alarm goes off right on time, but outside it is still pitch dark: the streetlights are on, and a few stars still hang in the sky. At that same moment in Beijing, more than three thousand kilometres away, the sun has been up for over an hour. In Kashgar, you have to wait until after ten to see the first ray of sunlight. By the sun’s own clock, it is really only about six.

Nothing is wrong with Kashgar’s clocks. All of China runs on one time, Beijing time, which is UTC+8. Yet from west to east China stretches across more than sixty degrees of longitude, which by the usual international division would cover about five time zones.

Kashgar and Beijing sit at almost the same latitude, and their days are about the same length, yet Kashgar’s sun runs more than two and a half hours behind. Around the winter solstice, at three in the afternoon, the sun in Kashgar has only just reached its highest point, while in Fuyuan, Heilongjiang, at China’s eastern tip, it is already about to set. Go further southwest from Kashgar, to China’s border with Afghanistan, and the clocks on the two sides differ by a full three and a half hours.

In fact, China has not always lived by a single clock. In 1918, the Central Observatory of the day proposed dividing the country into five time zones: Changbai in the northeast, Zhongyuan for most of the east and centre, Longshu around Gansu and Sichuan, and Xinzang and Kunlun splitting Xinjiang and Tibet between them. The government later announced the plan officially, but in practice it was followed mainly along the coast. After 1949, one place after another switched to Beijing time, and the five zones on the map gradually became one.

But the sun does not change to suit the rules. In Xinjiang, many people still keep a second clock in their heads, called “Xinjiang time”, two hours behind Beijing time. In 1986 it even won official recognition, under the name “Ürümqi time”. So when you arrange to meet someone there, you often have to ask first: “Do you mean Beijing time or Xinjiang time?” And that is the simple version. From 1986 to 1991 the whole country also had daylight saving time, and in Xinjiang in those years, so the story goes, as many as four different times could be in use at once.

Luckily, trains and planes need no thought: they all run on Beijing time. As for daily routines, the whole day simply shifts later. Many workplaces open at ten in the morning, break for lunch at two and close at eight in the evening, and school hours are pushed back too. In summer, the sun in Kashgar does not set until about half past ten at night, and it is nearly eleven before it gets truly dark.

So is this a good idea? Supporters say one country, one clock is simple and a symbol of unity: train timetables and TV news need no converting, and more than ninety percent of the population lives in the southeast of the country, where Beijing time fits just right. Opponents say that for this convenience, people in the west spend the whole year jet-lagged against the sun, and even a simple “see you at ten” needs an extra question. Both sides have a point.

One last little secret: Beijing time is not actually made in Beijing. It is produced by atomic clocks at the National Time Service Center in Lintong, Xi’an, in Shaanxi province, then sent out by radio from Pucheng, seventy kilometres away. So while people in Kashgar wait in the dark for the sun, the “Beijing time” on their clocks actually has its home in Shaanxi.