Originally Posted by
Gamecock
Welcome. Good question!
What time of year are you flying?
If flying during the winter months I suspect you will be far enough North that you may encounter some measure of darkness. In mid-summer? Forget it.
I'm sure someone will be along shortly who will either validate my hypothesis or tell me I as as wrong as two left shoes.
Second this. While I've never done SFO-PEK I have done SFO-PVG many times. Sunset often catches us before we land but most of the flight is always in daylight.
We usually go a bit south of the route shown we have once gone well north of it--definitely above the arctic circle. Far enough into winter that would have meant the sun setting in the south during the flight.