China spans several climate zones, so the best month depends on where you are going. Seasonal guidance and the holiday calendar are in the tools and guides below.
China is continent-sized: Harbin hits -25C in January while Sanya stays at 25C. The travel-relevant summary is simple — April-May and September-October suit almost every route, summer is monsoon in the south and furnace in the north-west, winter belongs to Harbin's ice festival and Hainan's beaches.
The guides below break down each season by region, plus when to absolutely not go: Golden Week (October 1-7) and Chinese New Year, when every train ticket and hotel room triples in price and sells out anyway.