China Travel Information
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When to Go to China
To get the most out of your next adventure it makes sense to consider some of the very local factors that combine to make up what you feel is the best time to travel to a destination. Many of these factors are very personal - some people prefer to travel when the weather is not too hot, or sites too crowded - others prefer to travel when a traditional local event is taking place. Taking into account the dates of public holidays can also make sense as these may have an impact on opening times of attractions, shops and restaurants, or might affect public transport or other services. Conversely public holidays can be a time of great local festivities and celebrations providing a feast of local expressionism and culture.
Climate
China is vast country with a huge variety of climatic conditions. The latitudes span nearly 50 degrees, its southern part is in the tropical and subtropical zones, and its northern part near the temperate zone.
The Yangtze River serves as a handy division between north and south. In the south the climate is dominated by dry seasons and wet monsoons, with southern winds from the seas areas bring warm air and rains. As one heads north and west the weather becomes drier and hotter in summer, colder and drier in winter.
Northern winters (December to March), are extremely coldl cities such as Beijing and Harbin do see temperatures as ;low as -20C at night, with little precipitation. By summer, May to August, temperatures in Beijing are a humid 38C with rain at this time common.
The central Yangtse region has a long, humid summer with high temperatures from April to October and the cities of of Wuhan, Chongqing and Nanjing are known as the “three furnaces”. Winters here sees temperatures dropping well below freezing and it can be wet and miserable at any time of year other than summer.
The southern cities fall into the sub/tropical region and those on the coast are subject to a summer season of typhoons (usually July to September). Temperatures can rise to around 38C in the summer but the temperatures are less extreme – nonetheless bring warm clothing between November and March.
The far northwest is a desert region. Here it gets hot extremely in summer - dry and sunny and with temperatures of around 47C. In winter this region suffers from extreme cold as does the rest of the north, with temperatures fropping to -10C. Precipitation averages less than 10 cm per year in this dry area.
Seasonality
The best time for visiting China is, without doubt, spring and autumn. Daytime temperatures range from 20C to 30C and drop a lot at night. Saying that, those heading over the passes on the Silk Road will find their routes blocked by snow in all but the summer, and those visiting outside of winter won’t see Harbin’s Ice Festival. Summer is less crowded and makes travel at higher elevations of Qinghai Province a pleasure.
National Holidays
| Date |
Description |
| 08 Mar 08 |
International Womens Day. |
| 04 May 08 |
Youth Day. |
| 01 Jan 09 |
New Years Day. |
| 26 Feb 09 |
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) (to be confirmed). |
| 01 May 09 |
Labour Day. |
| 01 Jun 09 |
International Childrens Day. |
| 01 Jul 09 |
Anniversary-founding of the Communist Party of China. |
| 01 Aug 09 |
Anniversary of the founding of the PLA. |
| 01 Oct 09 |
National Day. |
National Events
| Event |
Occurs |
Description |
| Beijing Olympics |
8 – 24 Aug 2008 |
|
