| Climate
Best time to visit
In China's most popular tourist areas, the peak tourist season is spring and fall (May and September through the first half of November). Shoulder season runs from March to April and June through August. The off-season arrives mid-November and lasts through winter.
Climate
China has a great diversity of climates, which is dominated by dry seasons and wet monsoons. The northeast has hot and dry summers and cold winters. The north and central region has almost frequent rainfall, hot summers and cold winters. The southeast region has substantial rainfall, with semi-tropical summers and cool winters. Central and southern China experiences heavy rains and frequent flooding during monsoon seasons.
North
Northern winter comes in December and lasts until March. The weather can be extremely cold. In Beijing, the temperature can drop to -20 ‘C.
In summer, from May to August, northern region is dry and hot with temperature as high as 38C (100 F). The best time to visit the north is spring and autumn when daytime temperatures are warm. However, the temperature may drop dramatically at night. Tourist cities in the north are Beijing, Harbin, Hohhot (Inner Mongolia) and Xian.
Central
China’s central region experiences long and humid summer with high temperatures and occasional rain from April to October. However, the temperature can drop below freezing in winters. Perhaps the best time to visit this region is spring and autumn. Cities in this region include Nanjing, Wuhan, Shanghai, Chongqing, Suzhou and Hangzhou.
South
The climate in Southern China is dominated by tropical storms from July to September. The weather can be chill during the rain. In summer, the temperature can rise to 38 ‘C. The weather is cool in winters which begins in January and ends in March.
Autumn and spring are a good time to visit. Popular tourist cities in this region are Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Xiamen, Guilin, Shenzhen and Kunming.
Northwest
This desert region can be very hot and dry in summer, especially in Xinjiang Province. In Turpan, the capital of Xinjiang sitting 150m below sea level, the temperature is around 47 C in summer. However, the southern part of this region sees the extreme opposite of climate and landscape. It is home to the famous Qinghai or Tibet Plateau with an average elevation of 4,000 metres above sea level. It is cool in summer and severely cold in winter. Tibet is a sunny city with strong wind and intense sunlight. The air is thin, resulting in temperature extremes during both day and night. An ideal period to visit Tibet starts from April to October when the scenery is at its best. Its coldest months begin in December until February. Cities worth a visit are Lhasa and Shigatse. |
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