_ Climate

China has a marked continental monsoonal climate characterized by great variety. Most parts are in the northern temperate zone while the southern areas are in the tropical or subtropical zone and northern areas in the frigid zone.

Most parts of China have clear division between seasons. In winter, northerly winds from high latitude areas keep the northern part cold and dry, while in summer, monsoons from southern coastal areas bring warm and moisture. In addition, the climate also varies with the extensive territory and various topography from region to region.

In north China, such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, summer is dry and sweltering and winter is formidably cold. Sandstorms sometimes occur in April in this area, especially in Inner Mongolia and Beijing.

On the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau (about 4,000m above sea level), winter is extremely cold and summer is short and moderately warm. There is little precipitation in this area and the difference in temperature is great between day and night.

In central China (the valley area along the Yangtze River), summer is long, hot and humid while winter is short and cold. In areas south of the Yangtze River, temperature rarely falls below freezing.
In the far south, areas around Guangzhou, the summer is long, humid and hot, and the winter short
and warm, nowhere near as cold as in the north. The rainy season runs from May through August and
typhoons frequently occur in the southeast coast between July and September.