Site & performance · China
Sun path diagram for Shanghai
Solstice and equinox sun paths, sunrise, sunset and day length for Shanghai, computed for 2026 in local clock time.
The generator preloads Shanghai, works out the UTC offset for any date from its time zone, and lets you change the projection, add obstructions and export SVG, PNG or CSV. All calculations run in your browser.
Sunrise, sunset and day length in Shanghai
Local clock times for 2026 from the SunCalc engine, using the standard −0.833° sunrise and sunset horizon. Solar noon is when the sun crosses the local meridian; noon altitude is its height above the horizon at that moment.
| Date | Clock | Sunrise | Sunset | Solar noon | Day length | Noon altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 equinox | UTC+8 | 06:00 | 18:06 | 12:03 | 12 h 06 min | 58.4° |
| June 21 solstice | UTC+8 | 04:51 | 19:02 | 11:57 | 14 h 11 min | 82.2° |
| September 22 equinox | UTC+8 | 05:43 | 17:53 | 11:48 | 12 h 10 min | 59.3° |
| December 21 solstice | UTC+8 | 06:49 | 16:56 | 11:53 | 10 h 07 min | 35.3° |
Where Shanghai sits and how its clock works
Shanghai lies at 31.23° north, 121.47° east, in the northern hemisphere's subtropical belt. Its clocks follow the Asia/Shanghai time zone, UTC+8 all year, so no daylight-saving shift applies to the times on this page.
Sun angles through the year in Shanghai
The sun is highest on June 21, reaching 82.2° above the horizon at solar noon (11:57 local time). On December 21 it climbs only to 35.3°. The 46.9° difference is twice the 23.44° tilt of Earth's axis. At the March and September equinoxes the noon sun stands at about 58.8°, which is 90° minus the latitude. At solar noon the sun is always to the south, so the south-facing side of a building is the sunny one all year.
Sunrise swings a long way along the horizon during the year. On June 21 the sun rises at azimuth 61.8° (north-east) and sets at 298.4° (north-west); on December 21 it rises at 117.3° and sets at 243°. At the equinoxes it rises close to due east and sets close to due west. That 55° swing is why an east-facing window in Shanghai gets generous summer morning sun and much less in midwinter.
Day length, sunrise and sunset
Daylight runs from 14 h 11 min on June 21 to 10 h 07 min on December 21, a difference of 4 h 04 min. Sunrise moves between 04:51 and 06:49 across the year and sunset between 16:56 and 19:02 on the local clock. Solar noon falls at 11:57 on June 21 and 11:53 on December 21, close to the middle of the day.
What this means for buildings in Shanghai
For design, the south-facing facade is the one to work with. In summer the noon sun at 82.2° is steep enough for a modest horizontal overhang to shade it, while in winter, at 35.3°, the sun passes under the same overhang and warms the room. East and west facades take low-angle sun morning and evening in every season and are better protected with vertical fins, external blinds or planting than with overhangs. The north-facing side sees only early and late summer sun.
Reading the diagram
The diagram uses the equidistant projection: the centre is the zenith, the outer ring is the horizon and the rings between mark 30° and 60° altitude, with north at the top and azimuth running clockwise. The dark curve is the September equinox, amber is June 21 and grey is December 21; the band between the amber and grey curves is the only part of the sky the sun ever occupies over Shanghai, and dots mark every second clock hour. Open the generator to switch to a stereographic projection, choose any date, add up to eight obstructions and export the diagram as SVG or PNG, or the hourly data as CSV.