Climate Zones in China
China has a vast territory, and it has more than one type of climate due to different geographical zones. In China, there are the tropical zone, the subtropical zone, the warm temperate zone, the middle temperate zone, the cold temperate zone and the plateau zone. Most regions in China are in the subtropical zone, and parts of Guangdong, Taiwan and Yunnan and all Hainan are in the tropical zone. Parts of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Xinjiang are in the plateau zone. A small part of Inner Mongolia is in the cold temperature zone. Its northern part is close to the frigid zone. Ice and snow can be found all the year round in some regions.
Influence of Geographical Location on Climate
China is located in the eastern Asia, and faces the Pacific Ocean in the east and south. Due to geographic position, the eastern and southern China are influenced by monsoon, and have climates like a tropical monsoon climate, subtropical monsoon climate and temperate monsoon climate. In the west of China, there are two types of climate, temperate continental climate and plateau and highland climate. Most regions are cold and dry in winter and have a warm and rainy climate in summer. Because of its varied topography and terrain conditions, its climate is complicated and diversified from region to region. For instance, there is a long winter but no summer in the northern part of Heilongjiang Province, while there is a long summer but no winter in Hainan Province. There are four distinct seasons in the Huaihe River valley. The weather in Yunnan is like the weather in spring all the year round. The climate in the hinterland of northwestern China varies greatly in winter and summer. In a summer day, it has a drastic fall in temperature, cold in morning and extremely hot at noon. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the southwest has a highland climate with a low temperature throughout the year. Desert regions in Xinjiang have a temperate continental climate, with the dryand rainless weather throughout the year.
Rainfall Characteristics in China
China’s complex and varied climate types result in a great variety of temperature belts, and dry and moist zones. In summer, the whole China is in hot, sweltering days, with little difference in temperature between the south and the north. In the regions with a monsoon climate, the warm and moist monsoon from oceans brings abundant rainfalls. In regions in the northwest which are in an arid zone, however, it could be very dry, with few rainfalls.
Rainfall in China is basically regular every year. In spatial distribution, rainfall is increasing from southeast to northwest, because the eastern seashores are more influenced by the summer monsoon than inland areas, which bring vapor and rainfall. In places with heavy rainfalls, the average annual rainfall can reach over 6,000 mm. Rainy season is mainly from May to September. In some areas, especially in the dry northwest, changes in rainfall every year are greater than in the coastal area. Based on rainfall, the area divides into four parts: wet area, semi-wet area, semi-dry area and dry area.
