City history
From ancient drum towers and imperial observatories to the establishment of Beijing Time in 1949, Beijing evolved from the early settlement of Ji into China's central timekeeping reference.
Chapter one
Earliest documented name
"Thistle or named after the ancient Ji state"
Ji (also known as Jicheng) is the earliest documented settlement on the site of modern Beijing, serving as the walled capital of the Ji state during the Western Zhou dynasty before being conquered by the State of Yan.
Thistle / Ji Capital
Founded during the Western Zhou dynasty, Ji served as the capital of the Ji state until it was annexed by the neighboring State of Yan.
Capital of Yan
Derived from the State of Yan, Yanjing became a key regional capital. The name persisted through the Liao dynasty when it served as the southern capital (Nanjing) and remains in literary use.
Great Capital
Established by Kublai Khan during the Yuan dynasty, Dadu served as the capital of the Mongol Empire in China and was laid out around a prominent central axis with dedicated timekeeping towers.
Northern Capital
Renamed by the Ming Yongle Emperor in 1403, Beijing became the imperial capital in 1421. Re-established as the capital of the People's Republic of China in 1949, it anchors the nation's unified standard time.
Northern Peace
Used whenever the national capital shifted to Nanjing, including during the early Ming dynasty and under the Republic of China prior to 1949.
Chapter two
The Central Observatory in Beijing proposed dividing China into five standard time zones. Beijing was placed within Chungyuan (Central) Standard Time at the UTC+8 offset.
Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, the central government designated Beijing Time (UTC+8) as the single standard time zone for the entire mainland.
China introduced a nationwide daylight saving time trial on May 4, 1986, advancing clocks by one hour during the summer to promote energy conservation.
On September 15, 1991, China concluded its six-year daylight saving experiment due to practical complications and limited energy savings, returning permanently to year-round UTC+8.
Chapter three
Kublai Khan ordered the construction of the original Drum Tower (Qizhenglou) in Dadu, establishing a centralized public timekeeping system using drums, bells, and clepsydras to announce official hours.
Constructed on a brick platform atop the eastern city wall during the Ming dynasty, the Beijing Ancient Observatory housed instruments for imperial celestial observation and calendar reform.
Ferdinand Verbiest, a Flemish Jesuit appointed head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, designed six large bronze instruments for the observatory, blending European geometry with traditional Chinese metalwork.
Following the expulsion of Emperor Puyi from the Forbidden City, official civic timekeeping transitioned from the traditional Drum and Bell Towers to modern mechanical clocks.