China in Summer: Months, Weather, Temperature & Travel Tips

There are many great places to go in the summer months to avoid the sweltering summer heat. Tibet is perfect to go in summer time, with the mildest weather and beautiful scenery. Most of local festivals take place in July and August. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, featuring the quietness and cool summer, is a great chance to get into the Avatar world by total nature; the Yangtze River Cruise is such a leisure and relaxed trip to sightsee China landscape by light breezing; Or you may come to some beach cities like Qingdao, Xiamen or Dalian to catch some rays, go deep into mountains like Huangshan, Emeishan, Moganshan, etc. for summer escape, ride horses at a gallop across the vast prairie in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, South Sichuan and Tibet, etc. If you want to hang out in some big cities, Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an are great choices to experience the local lifestyle and outdoor activities.

June, the transition month of spring and summer, the temperature begins to rise gradually over the south and north of Yangtzi River. But the nationwide daily average temperature is still not as high as July and August. The average daytime temperature in China in June is around 28°C and the nighttime temperature is around 18°C. Precipitation is mainly concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the area south of the Yangtze River.

Areas with temperatures between 8°C~16°C include: northeast part of Heilongjiang and Jilin province, northern parts of Inner Mongolia, Jiuzhaigou in western Sichuan, Qinghai province, and Tibet, etc.

Areas with temperatures between 16°C~24°C include: most parts of Shanxi province (Datong, Pingyao, Taiyuan), north part of Shaanxi province, south part of Ningxia province, half parts of Gansu province (Dunhuang), etc.

Areas with temperatures between 24°C~28°C include: Guizhou and Yunnan province, the Yellow Mountain in Anhui, Zhangjiajie in Hunan, Guilin in Guangxi and the Three Gorges between Chongqing and Yichang, etc.

Areas with temperatures over 28°C include: Northern China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, middle and west part of Inner Mongolia and most parts of Xinjiang, etc. Eastern China includes Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fujian province and Taiwan, etc; Middle and Western parts of China, include Xi’an, Chengdu, etc. Southern China includes Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Hainan, etc. The average temperature in some cities, such as Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Hefei and Zhengzhou, etc. will exceed 32°C in mid-to-late June.

While students are not on summer holiday and the weather is not too hot, it is the best time to visit some classic destinations and attractions in China. If this is your first time to China, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Chengdu, etc must be your top choices. If you would like to cover some mountains and river landscapes in your China visit, Huangshan near Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Jiuzhaigou are all good places to go. There are also some destinations that are particularly beautiful or unique in June, such as flower sea in Shangri-La, Daocheng Yading and Xinjiang Yili, Sand Festival in Dunhuang, emerald prairie in Zoige, and extraordinary light and shadow picture scroll in Xiapu, etc.

Check more about China Weather in June & Top Places to Visit in China in June >>

Best China June Tours:

☛ 4 Days Guilin Highlights Tour (Li River, Yangshuo & Longji Terraces)

☛ 6 Days Classic Beijing Xian High-speed Train Tour (Most Valuable)

☛ 6 Days Hexi Corridor Discovery Tour (Zhangye/Jiayuguan/Dunhuang)

Check all China June Tours >>

July is the hottest month in China, with an average temperature above 30°C throughout two thirds of China. The rainfall also increased significantly and Fujian province, Zhejiang Province and Taiwan, etc. may be affected by typhoons during this month.

In July, except Qinghai, Tibet, summer is in full swing across China. In recent years, there are more and more cities recorded a temperature of over 40℃ during the dog days in southern China, like Shanghai (35°C), Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu (31°C), Guangzhou, and Hong Kong, etc. Besides, due to the global warm, more and more cities of northern China also join in the hot stove cities list and the torridity weather is not second to south cities’, such as Beijing (33°C), Xian (35°C), Tianjin, Jinan and Zhengzhou.

In Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the weather is quite cool with the high sea level. And some cities with mild temperatures are without summer time, like Xining, Lhasa and Kunming, around 20°C~24°C.

Although it is very hot in China in July, most places are air-conditioned indoors, so if you plan to travel to the big cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an or Chengdu, the heat won’t be a problem. But if you're more inclined to enjoy the beauty of natural mountains and rivers, we suggest you find some cool vacation places to escape the summer heat. Looking across China, the natural scenery in the southwest, represented by Yunnan and Guizhou, are especially eye-opening. Moreover, Kunming and Guiyang, the capitals of Yunnan and Guizhou province, are also on the list of the world's most popular summer cities in 2020. July is also a good time to take a Yangtze River cruise and feel the poetic scenery of “Apes call on the both sides of the river continuously; and canoes already past thousands of mountains” in the Three Gorges. At this time, the rape flowers in Qinghai are in full bloom, and the magnificent mountains such as Huangshan and Zhangjiajie are also 6-8 degrees lower than the average temperature of the city thanks to the surrounding topography and landform. The water (rivers, lakes and waterfalls) is particularly charming in July. Among which the pure highland lakes are the most charming, you can leave for Tibet, Jiuzhaigou Valley and Daocheng Yading to meet picturesque lakes and enjoy a pleasant summer vacation at the same time.

Check more about China Weather in July & Top Summer Resorts >>

Best China July Tours:

☛ 4 Days Chongqing Essence Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

☛ 5 Days Inner Mongolia Grassland and Desert Tour

☛ 7 Days Best of Guizhou Tour with Nature & Culture Highlights
(Guiyang / Anshun / Libo / Kaili / Congjiang / Zhaoxing)

Check all China July Tour >>

The early part of August is still hot. Since the middle of August, the temperature in most parts of the country has begun to drop gradually. But for major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Chengdu, etc. temperatures will remain high until the end of August, with average temperature over 30°C. This month, the precipitation in all parts of the country is still unabated. The rain belt is moving northward as a whole. The precipitation and frequency in northern regions are increasing significantly, while the climate in southern regions is still hot and humid.

Areas with temperatures between 8°C~16°C include: Tibet, Qinghai province, southern part of Gansu, southern and northern part of Xinjiang and the area north of the Tianshan Mountains, etc.

Areas with temperatures between 16°C~28°C include: Northeast China, northeast of Inner Mongolia, Guilin, Xi’an in Shaanxi province, Three Gorges, Tulou Area in Fujian, Qingdao in Shandong, Shanxi province, Ningxia province, Yunnan province, east parts of Guizhou province.

Areas with temperatures over 28°C include: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Hefei, Chongqing, Changsha, Taibei, etc.

While it is still midsummer in most parts of eastern and southern China, some parts of northern China, northwest China and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, etc. have seen a faint autumn in the air. This is a particularly good time to explore the Ancient Silk Road by visiting Xi’an, Dunhaung, Zhangye, Turpan, etc. August is also a good time to have fun at beaches, Qingdao (Shandong), Beihai (Guangxi) and Sanya, etc are all good places to go. In August, Hulun Buir Grassland is also cool and full of green. If you are looking for a more typical southern China characteristic scenery, bamboo sea is a good choice. You can visit Anji Bamboo Sea near Hangzhou and Shanghai or Shunan Bamboo Sea near Chengdu and Chongqing.

Check more about China Weather in August & Top China Destinations in August >>

Best China February Tours:

☛ 6 Days Yunnan Essence Tour (Kunming / Dali / Lijiang)

☛ 5 Days Xiamen, Fujian Tulou & Mount Wuyi Discovery Tour

☛ 10 Days Classic Silk Road Tour (Xian / Dunhuang / Turpan / Kashgar)

Check all China August Tour >>

Although many places in China are hot in summer, there are still a rich number of nice places recommended for your planning of a China summer vacation. But, to plan a summer vacation in China is based on what weather, scenery, types of destinations, members of your group, etc.! However, you'd better avoid to visit the top hottest cities like Wuhan, Nanjing, Changsha...Also, avoid the Chinese students summer vacation from July to August.

For people spending summer in China for the first time, you can still visit the top classic destinations including Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Chengdu. And for those travelers visiting China in summer for the second or third time, most of them prefer to discover Zhangjiajie (3-5 days), Jiuzhai Valley (2-3 days), Yangtze River Cruise (4-5 days), Emeishan (1-2 days), Tibet (3-11 days), Guilin / Yangshuo / Longsheng (3-6 days), Huangshan (3-5 days), etc. to see the emerald top landscape and brilliant culture in China with lower temperature. If you want to enjoy a cool summer vacation with refreshing nature like mountains, forests, grassland, water, and other seasonal landscapes, you are recommended plan an itinerary to Guizhou (3-7 days), Inner Mongolia (3-6 days), Qinghai (3-6 days), Moganshan (1-2 days), etc. to escape from the summer heat. And if you are seeking more fun alone or with your family kids, Wuyishan (2-3 days), Anji (2-3 days), Inner Mongolia, Guilin, etc. are top bests. However, if you are photo-lovers, take your cameras to Xiapu (2-4 days) and any places above to shoot amazing photos with medium or low temperatures.

More Useful Articles: China in June | China in July | China in August | China Summer Places to Go >>

Hottest Summer Tour: China Tours in June | China Tours in July | China Tours in August | All China Summer Tours >>

No matter you have some or no idea about where to go in China for this summer, our professional travel expert will help you plan or customized your own China summer trip gladly and sincerely. Please tell us directly without any hesitation if you need any suggestion or help!

Xinjiang Yili in June - Lavender Sea

Jiuzhai Valley in Summer