diff --git a/asia b/asia index 1edfc0a..664996f 100644 --- a/asia +++ b/asia @@ -363,6 +363,69 @@ Zone Asia/Urumqi 5:50:20 - LMT 1928 # or Urumchi # West Xinjiang, including Aksu, Atushi, Yining, Hetian, Cele, Luopu, Nileke, # Zhaosu, Tekesi, Gongliu, Chabuchaer, Huocheng, Bole, Pishan, Suiding, # and Yarkand. + +# From Luther Ma (2009-10-17): +# Almost all (>99.9%) ethnic Chinese (properly ethnic Han) living in +# Xinjiang use Chinese Standard Time. Some are aware of Xinjiang time, +# but have no need of it. All planes, trains, and schools function on +# what is called "Beijing time." When Han make an appointment in Chinese +# they implicitly use Beijing time. +# +# On the other hand, ethnic Uyghurs, who make up about half the +# population of Xinjiang, typically use "Xinjiang time" which is two +# hours behind Beijing time, or UTC +0600. The government of the Xinjiang +# Uyghur Autonomous Region, (XAUR, or just Xinjiang for short) as well as +# local governments such as the Urumqi city government use both times in +# publications, referring to what is popularly called Xinjiang time as +# "Urumqi time." When Uyghurs make an appointment in the Uyghur language +# they almost invariably use Xinjiang time. +# +# (Their ethnic Han compatriots would typically have no clue of its +# widespread use, however, because so extremely few of them are fluent in +# Uyghur, comparable to the number of Anglo-Americans fluent in Navajo.) +# +# (...As with the rest of China there was a brief interval ending in 1990 +# or 1991 when summer time was in use. The confusion was severe, with +# the province not having dual times but four times in use at the same +# time. Some areas remained on standard Xinjiang time or Beijing time and +# others moving their clocks ahead.) +# +# ...an example of an official website using of Urumqi time. +# +# The first few lines of the Google translation of +# +# http://www.fjysgl.gov.cn/show.aspx?id=2379&cid=39 +# +# (retrieved 2009-10-13) +# > Urumqi fire seven people are missing the alleged losses of at least +# > 500 million yuan +# > +# > (Reporter Dong Liu) the day before 20:20 or so (Urumqi Time 18:20), +# > Urumqi City Department of International Plaza Luther Qiantang River +# > burst fire. As of yesterday, 18:30, Urumqi City Fire officers and men +# > have worked continuously for 22 hours... + +# From Luther Ma (2009-11-19): +# With the risk of being redundant to previous answers these are the most common +# English "transliterations" (w/o using non-English symbols): +# +# 1. Wulumuqi... +# 2. Kashi... +# 3. Urumqi... +# 4. Kashgar... +# ... +# 5. It seems that Uyghurs in Urumqi has been using Xinjiang since at least the +# 1960's. I know of one Han, now over 50, who grew up in the surrounding +# countryside and used Xinjiang time as a child. +# +# 6. Likewise for Kashgar and the rest of south Xinjiang I don't know of any +# start date for Xinjiang time. +# +# Without having access to local historical records, nor the ability to legally +# publish them, I would go with October 1, 1949, when Xinjiang became the Uyghur +# Autonomous Region under the PRC. (Before that Uyghurs, of course, would also +# not be using Beijing time, but some local time.) + Zone Asia/Kashgar 5:03:56 - LMT 1928 # or Kashi or Kaxgar 5:30 - KAST 1940 # Kashgar Time 5:00 - KAST 1980 May