[seanmcdirmid]

That's definitely true for Urumuqi where stores open later (11AM instead of 9:30 or 10AM in the rest of the country). But Beijing is pretty far east where the time zone is mainly meant for.

[billiam]

Try Kashgar. It's dark until 10 or later every day in the winter.

[seanmcdirmid]

Kashgar would be the worst possible situation in China, I've only ever been as far west as Urumuqi.

[riffic]

the variability of solar time depends a great deal on latitude, if I'm not mistaken.

perhaps lawmakers can try voting to change the tilt of the earth, lol.