If the Lord really wanted us to enjoy the sunrise, it would come no earlier than 10 a.m. -Reader’s Digest, May 2008

If you’ve ever thought something like that before, you ought to move to Xinjiang.  Most anybody who has traveled to Xinjiang has been informed of the “dual time zone” phenomenon wherein Beijing time is used officially here even though many minority groups hold to the true time zone.  If you’re unfamiliar with this area, it would be like all of America, including Alaska, running on Washington D.C. time.  You just have to be conscious of where you are and who you’re talking to when figuring which one to use.

China travel books make much of the fact that this area of China operates on two different clocks, as if those of us who live in Xinjiang wear two watches to keep our time straight.  The truth of the matter is that I rarely ever give it any thought during my daily life here.  The only time I ever find this “Xinjaing Time” annoying is during the winter, including this upcoming Christmas morning.

You see, this use of Beijing time means that during the summer the sun doesn’t go down until 11pm (which is absolutely awesome!) but during the winter the sun doesn’t rise until at least 10a.m. – and that’s if the sky is clear.  Every morning that my wife and I walk to work, not only do we trudge a mile in the snow uphill but we do it in the pitch-black dark.  Sounds like a good story for the grandchildren someday, right?

Depending on how you look at it, for Christmas this late sunrise can be either a blessing or a curse.  For us big kids it’s an opportunity to sleep in on Christmas morning yet still enjoy opening gifts at the crack of dawn – sweet!  For the real kids, including the Filipino children with whom we will celebrate Christmas this year, it means they’ll have to wait until at least 10:30 a.m. before they can begin their Christmas morning.