Best Time to Visit China: Month by Month

Choose a month against your own route

The comfort filter selects months by average high temperature and precipitation days, using the same thresholds for every city. Climate normals describe historical station averages; they do not predict weather for a particular trip or establish event dates, opening arrangements or prices.

Seasons and months

Spring planning: March, April and May

Beijing in April has an average high of 21.0°C and 4.7 precipitation days. Among Beijing's qualifying months, April has the fewest precipitation days. Xi'an meets the same comfort filter in March and April.

Summer planning: June, July and August

Shanghai in June receives 224.9 mm across 14.3 precipitation days, its highest monthly precipitation-day count. Guilin receives 448.7 mm in June. Harbin receives 46.3% of its annual precipitation in July and August.

Autumn planning: September, October and November

Shanghai qualifies in October (23.5°C high; 7.5 precipitation days) and November (17.8°C high; 9.2 precipitation days). Guilin qualifies in November (20.8°C high; 9.2 precipitation days). Harbin qualifies in September (21.6°C high; 9.1 precipitation days). Beijing qualifies in October (19.3°C high; 5.2 precipitation days). Chengdu qualifies in November (16.7°C high; 7.5 precipitation days).

Winter planning: December, January and February

Harbin's January average low is −22.4°C. Guilin's January average high is 11.7°C, with 13.5 precipitation days despite the milder temperature.

Read the regional tables alongside your itinerary

Each table describes its named weather station, not an entire region. Annual precipitation, precipitation days and sunshine are sums of monthly values; annual mean temperature is the arithmetic average of monthly daily means. Shanghai’s sunshine series uses a different reference period, stated below its table.

Check entry planning alongside travel dates

Travel month alone does not establish entry eligibility. The passport-based guide and transit guide address passport, purpose and itinerary conditions. Their immigration sources support entry rules; the city tables carry separate climate sources.

Most comfortable months under this rule

The calculation selects months with an average high between 15–26°C inclusive and no more than 10 precipitation days. This is a fixed planning filter, not a forecast or a guarantee of personal comfort.

Qualifying months under the same comfort rule

City	Qualifying months
Beijing	April, October
Shanghai	October, November
Xi'an	March, April
Chengdu	November
Guilin	November
Harbin	September

Months that narrowly miss the rule

These examples from Guilin and Harbin satisfy one condition and narrowly exceed the other. The original comfort rule stays unchanged.

• Guilin, October: average high 26.3 °C; precipitation days 7.1. The average high exceeds the upper limit by 0.3 °C.
• Harbin, May: average high 21.6 °C; precipitation days 10.5. Precipitation days exceed the upper limit by 0.5 days.

Harbin: winter and summer context

January's average low is -22.4 °C. The supplied monthly snow-day series sums to 45.0 days per year. These are climate normals, not a forecast for a particular visit.

July and August account for about 46% of Harbin's annual precipitation. The calculated share is 46.3%: 249.7 mm out of the annual 539.4 mm.

Guilin: rainfall distribution

April through June account for about 50% of Guilin's annual precipitation. The calculated share is 50.1%: 996.5 mm out of 1988.0 mm annually.