China is situated in the eastern part of the Asian Continent, facing the Pacific, the world's largest ocean, thus having a prominent monsoon climate. It also sees various other types of climate due to its vast territory, complicated topography and a great disparity in elevation. Climate zones from south to north appear in this order: tropical zone, subtropical zone, temperate zone, medium temperate zone and frigid temperate zone. There is also a vertical climatic zone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Temperature

The Mohe area of Heilongjiang Province at the northernmost tip of China, located north of Latitude 53°N, has a frigid temperate climate. Zengmu Ansha in Hainan Province at the southern end, only 400 km from the equator, is dominated by the equatorial climate. Thus, there is great temperature difference between the south and the north.

In winter, most areas in China are cold and the temperature varies greatly between northern and southern parts. In Mohe, the temperature in January averages -30℃, while that in Sanya, Hainan, is above 20℃.

In summer, the days are long in the northern part because the sun is directly over the Northern Hemisphere at this time. The northern areas get almost as much heat from sunlight as the southern part. Therefore, the temperature is high nationwide, except for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an exceptional elevation, and temperature difference is small between the north and the south.

Precipitation

Influenced by the oceanic warm and humid air current, most areas in China have rich rainfall. But the rainfall is unevenly distributed both regionally and seasonally. The east has more rain than the west and rainfall is concentrated in the summer. The rainy season in the south is long, lasting from May to October, while that in the north is short, spanning July and August. The amount of precipitation differs greatly from year to year, with some years having more rainfalls than others.

Sunshine

Most parts of China are located north of the Tropic of Cancer. In winter, the incident angle of the sunlight is small, resulting in short duration of sunshine. Therefore, the amount of heat from sunshine is comparatively small in these regions, decreasing further north one goes. In summer, these regions have more heat from sunlight with long days because the sun's rays directly radiate on the Northern Hemisphere in this season.