The south , however, is subtropical, with wet, humid summers (April to September), when temperatures can approach 40°C, and a typhoon season on the southeast coast between July and September. Though it is often still hot enough to swim in the sea in December, the short winters, from January to March, can be surprisingly chilly.

Central China , around Shanghai and the Yangzi River, has brief, cold winters, with temperatures dipping below zero, and long, hot, humid summers. It is not without reason that China's three "furnaces" - Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing - are all in the Yangzi basin. Rainfall here is high all year round. Farther north, the Yellow River basin marks a rough boundary in Chinese heating habits, with central heating fitted as standard in buildings north of here, helping to make northern China's harsh winters a little more tolerable. Winter temperatures in Beijing rarely rise above zero from December to March, and freezing winds off the Mongolian plains add a vicious windchill factor. In summer, however, temperatures can be well over 30°C. In the far north , Inner Mongolia and Manchuria, winters are at least clear and dry, but temperatures remain way below zero, while summers can be uncomfortably warm. The Northwest gets fiercely hot in summer, but without the humidity of the rest of the country, and winters are as bitter as anywhere else in northern China. Tibet is ideal in mid-summer, when its mountain plateaux are pleasantly warm and dry. June to September are the wettest months with winter temperatures in Lhasa frequently falling below freezing.

Overall, the best time to visit China is spring or autumn , when the weather is at its most temperate. In the spring, it's best to start in the south and work north or west as summer approaches; in the autumn, start in the north and work south. If you can brave the cold, winters are considerably enlivened by the preparations for Chinese New Year; but during New Year itself, travelling can be extremely difficult as offices close and much of the population is on the move.