Second only to Russia in size, China is a land of many people and climates. Climates vary from desert to high mountains, and from tropical to Siberian-like cold temperate.

China is often divided into China proper and the outer territories. China proper includes the Pacific coastal regions and the populous valleys of China's three great and storied rivers, the Hwang Ho, Yangtze Kiang, and Sikiang. The outer territories include Manchuria and Inner Mongolia to the north, Sinkiang in the west, and Tibet in the southwest.

Like most of eastern Asia, the main controlling factor in the climate, in all but the drier western parts of China, is the Asian monsoon.

Cold winds blow off the Siberian high pressure from October to April. Northern Siberia and the northern outer territories of Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and Sinkiang have very cold and dry winters resulting from the winter monsoon flow. Further south along the edges of the Siberian high pressure, disturbances bring occasional bouts of rain and snow and a few cold spells, but usually not the prolonged cold and snow cover of the north. In the drier interior, winter winds can cause dust storms to swirl and add to the discomfort.

From May to September, as the land mass warms faster than the ocean, the monsoon winds reverse bringing moist air from the Pacific and bringing the summer wet season to China proper and Manchuria. The peak rainfall reaches Shanghai in June and Beijing in July. By the time the flow reaches Inner Mongolia and Sinkiang, little moisture is left and these areas receive much less rainfall and are characterized by arid or semi-arid conditions.

BEIJING, CHINA

The Tropical South, bordering the South China Sea (e.g. Hong Kong), and the Pacific East Coasts (e.g. Shanghai) of China are vulnerable to typhoons, especially from July to October. These storms can bring flooding rains and damaging winds. In between occasional typhoon threats, frequent showers are typical during the warm season. During the winter months, these regions are much sunnier, drier, and pleasant than areas to the north.

SHANGHAI, CHINA

HONG KONG, CHINA

Tibet is a land of mostly high plateau bordering the world's highest mountains, the Himalayas. Winters in the higher elevations are severe with very cold temperatures, frequent light snows and very low wind chills. However, the winters are rather mild and dry in the lower valley areas. In both the high country and the valleys, most of the precipitation comes in summer in the form of rain showers with the monsoon winds.