Shabbat Times in Yiwu

Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, begins at sunset on Friday and ends after nightfall on Saturday. In Yiwu, candle lighting is performed 18 minutes before sunset, following local communal custom. Havdalah, the ceremony that concludes Shabbat, is recited after nightfall (tzait haKochavim, when three medium-sized stars are visible). We display the 72-minute opinion by default; the 8.5° (GRA) opinion corresponds to approximately 36 minutes after sunset at equinox, and 16.1° (Rabbeinu Tam) to approximately 72 minutes.

The weekly Torah portion (Parashat HaShavua) this week is Bereshis, read in synagogues across Yiwu on Shabbat morning.

The blessing recited when lighting Shabbat candles (Hadlakat Nerot) is one of the most cherished rituals welcoming the Sabbath. It is traditionally recited after lighting the candles, waving the hands over the flames in a welcoming gesture, and covering the eyes — so that the blessing precedes the act of enjoying the light.

In Yiwu, candles are lit 18 minutes before sunset — at 17:19 this week. The minimum is one candle, though many families light two (representing “Shamor” and “Zachor”, the two words used in the Torah to command Shabbat observance), and some add a candle for each member of the household. Source: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 263.

Yiwu, China's small-commodities trading capital, draws a steady stream of Israeli and Jewish buyers sourcing goods for export. The city has no permanent Chabad center, but visiting traders often arrange informal minyanim during peak seasons; for Shabbat hospitality and kosher food, the nearest full-time centers are in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

High-speed rail connects Yiwu to Shanghai in about two hours, making a pre-Shabbat trip to a Chabad center feasible for visitors planning around candle-lighting times — calculated on this page for Yiwu's exact coordinates.

• Popular sourcing destination for Israeli and Jewish traders
• No permanent Chabad center; informal minyanim at peak seasons
• Nearest full-time centers: Shanghai and Guangzhou
• Local candle-lighting times calculated for Yiwu's coordinates

Planning a Shabbat in Yiwu? Check the full-year Shabbat schedule for Yiwu and the daily Zmanim. Community details above reflect publicly listed centers and may change — contact the centers directly for current schedules and kosher arrangements.