China Time: How the Ancient Chinese Kept Track of Hours, Days, Years and Epochs

by Jeff Pepper

From oracle bones and simple sundials to towering clockwork machines that rang gongs across imperial capitals, from time intervals ranging from a tenth of a second to over four thousand years, China has been measuring time since before the dawn of history. But the story of Chinese timekeeping is far more than a tale of ancient gadgets. It is a story about how a civilization understood the universe, and its place within it.

In China Time, best-selling author Jeff Pepper tells the story of the ingenious systems that have organized daily life in the Middle Kingdom. Discover how the Twelve Earthly Branches divide the day into periods heavy with symbolism, how night watchmen tracked the passage of time, how astronomers refined the day into ever-smaller increments, and how Buddhist thinkers imagined time in terms of fingersnaps and moments of thought.

You’ll meet the people whose innovations shaped China’s timekeeping and datekeeping, including the brilliant builders of huge towers whose complex clockworks transformed the analog flowing water into the first true digital “ticks” of measured time .

Along the way, you’ll encounter emperors claiming the Mandate of Heaven, poets reflecting on the brevity of life, and philosophers wrestling with the shifting length of daylight and the puzzling movement of the planets across the sky. You’ll see how calendars, constellations, lunar months, solar terms, and zodiac animals combined into a richly layered system shaping agriculture, government, religion, and everyday speech.

Clear, engaging, and accessible to readers with no background in Chinese language or history, China Time reveals how one of the world’s oldest civilizations answered timeless questions: what time is it, what day is it, and what does it really mean?

273 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2026

About the author

I'm a writer and publisher living in Verona Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. My company, Imagin8 Press, has published over 100 fiction and nonfiction books for people learning to read Chinese. Our best sellers are an innovative English translations of the Dao De Jing and the Art of War, and a 31-volume retelling, in easy Chinese, of the classic novel Journey to the West.

I’m also a lifelong science fiction fan, and started writing sci-fi seriously in 2024. I am delighted that all of my sci-fi short stories have been published, see my bio page for details. My first full-length sci-fi novel, “Ascent to the Sun,” was published in April 2025.

Before embarking on my current career, I was in the software business. I founded and led three successful companies: ServiceWare, which began in my basement and went public on the NASDAQ; Touchtown, which was acquire by Uniguest; and Tunescribers. I have a degree in computer science from Carnegie-Mellon University, where I taught an undergraduate course in computer programming.

When not sitting in front of a glowing screen, you can probably find me playing competitive pickleball.

Reviews

[Pranav Bhatnagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare kind of history book that doesn’t just teach information, but completely changes the way you think about civilization itself. China Time takes something as ordinary as “time” and transforms it into a fascinating exploration of astronomy, philosophy, culture, religion, politics, poetry, and everyday life in ancient China. What makes this book stand out is how effortlessly Jeff Pepper explains incredibly complex systems without making the reader feel overwhelmed. The writing feels intelligent but welcoming, detailed without becoming cold or robotic. Every chapter reveals how deeply timekeeping shaped Chinese society, from emperors and astronomers to monks, soldiers, travelers, and ordinary families. The sections on the Twelve Earthly Branches, Buddhist concepts of time, water clocks, solar terms, and ancient calendars are especially captivating because they make you realize that ancient civilizations didn’t merely “measure” time, they experienced it differently. The atmosphere of the book is also wonderful. The artwork, storytelling style, and historical examples create a calm, immersive feeling that makes reading it feel almost meditative at times. This is not a surface level pop history book. It is thoughtful, layered, deeply researched, and clearly written with genuine passion for the subject. For readers interested in Chinese history, ancient science, philosophy, cultural systems, or simply learning how different civilizations understood reality, this is an incredibly rewarding read. A beautifully crafted work that feels both educational and strangely timeless.

[Estelle Bouldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

China Time: How the Ancient Chinese Kept Track of Hours, Days, Years and Epochs is one of those nonfiction books that takes a highly specialized topic and makes it engaging for general readers.

Jeff Pepper explores the many ways people in ancient China measured and understood time, from the Twelve Earthly Branches and night watches to water clocks, incense clocks, calendars, astrology, and Buddhist concepts of time. What could have been a dry historical reference becomes an accessible journey through thousands of years of Chinese culture, philosophy, astronomy, and daily life.

One of the book's strengths is its readability. Pepper writes for curious readers rather than scholars, using stories, literary examples, and clear explanations to make complex concepts understandable. Timekeeping was woven into everyday life, government administration, religion, military planning, and even fortune-telling.

Scholars often disagree on aspects of ancient Chinese history and that some interpretations remain open to debate. While I found the research impressive and appreciated the extensive notes and references, there were a few moments where I wondered whether certain historical conclusions might be more speculative than the narrative suggests.

As someone who has lived in China, I can attest the concept of time is "different" in the country versus many other countries around the world. The question, "What time is it?" may result in varied answers.

[Cheryl Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is a very interesting read on the Chinese system of time, calendars and the widely known zodiac years. It is quite intense, introducing concepts that need a bit of time to percolate and brew in the brain, because as a westerner, some of it is unfamiliar. However, I found it really fascinating to learn how it was organised, why and just how it is. The Chinese had calendars 3 centuries earlier than the western calendars and as such, their system is quite complex and bound with a view of the world that we don't have. I normally read a book of this length in a few hours, but it took me several days, because I wanted to really appreciate it properly and grasp it. The system of how time, dates and eras are approached is very interesting and that a system that old, still exists, is amazing and I like it. A calendar is not just a way of saying it's the 27th May 2026, it is an expression of continuity, of connection and of bringing the whole earth and our place in it to focus as well. I get why their calendar is different and I appreciate it far more now.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour de force through the history of time in China and its interactions with power, politics, invention and scientific discovery. The similarities and differences in how time has historically been treated in China and the West were fascinating. I was surprised by the sophistication and accuracy of ancient timekeeping methods and appreciated how the book explains the innovations over time; some were familiar, but many were new to me. The illustrations and explanations conveyed the sheer scale and resources dedicated to timekeeping, as well as the cultural significance of time in ancient China.

[Caesar Murillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

China Time by Jeff Pepper is a wonderful exploration of how one of the world's oldest civilizations tracked the flow of time. From night watchmen beating gongs to complex astronomical calendars and Buddhist concepts of time, Pepper makes ancient gadgets and cosmology thoroughly captivating. A quick, enlightening read that changes how you look at the clock!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.