China's climate can be compared to that of the United States in that there are four seasons, a primarily temperate climate, and conditions that vary widely from region to region.

North-Central China (Beijing, Xian) is similar in climate to Nebraska and Kansas, with less snow and rain during the winter. Late winter and early spring bring regular dust storms and haze.
South-Central China (Shanghai, Guangzhou) is comparable to the Gulf Coast states, though winter storms do not occur as often. Summer is hot and humid with frequent rain. Winter is shorter, cooler, and often overcast with drizzle.
Northeast China (Shenyang, Harbin) is similar to Minnesota. Summer is hot and dry, and winter is long and very cold.
Xinjiang (Urumqi, Turpan) experiences severe climate conditions with dramatic daily temperature swings. Summer can get very hot during the day, but generally cools off at night. Similarly, winter temperatures warm up during the day but plummet at night.
Tibet (Lhasa, Shigatse) also sees marked changes. When the sun shines, temperatures reach the mid-80s in the summer and the mid-60s in the winter. At night or when it rains or snows, temperatures drop significantly. Precipitation is minimal in the winter; summer showers are more common but occur mainly at night.

Average Temperatures of Major Cities in China

China has 28 provinces and 28 major dialects; the official language being Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect. Cantonese is a very common dialect in the south and remains as one of the official languages in Hong Kong and Macau (English and Portuguese respectively being the other official language).

There are currently two systems of written Chinese characters: The traditional and the simplified forms. The traditional form is still taught and used in Hong Kong and Macau. The simplified form was developed by the People's Republic of China in 1954 to promote mass literacy, simplifying complex traditional characters to fewer strokes. This form is used throughout mainland China. A well-educated Chinese today can read approximately 6000 characters. To be able to read a Chinese newspaper, one would have to read approximately 3000 characters.

National Holidays:
January 1 - New Year
May 1 - Labor Day
October 1 - National Day

National Festivals:
1^st day of the 1^st lunar month - Chinese Lunar New Year & Spring Festival
5^th solar term (April 4^th, 5^th, or 6^th) - Qing Ming Festival (Ancestors Day)
5^th day of the 5^th lunar month - Dragon Boat Festival
15^th day of the 8th lunar month - Mid Autumn Festival (Moon Festival)

The official currency is the renminbi (RMB). The base unit of this currency is the yuan (CNY) and is colloquially called kuai. The subdivision is the jiao (at 10 jiao per yuan) and is colloquially called mao. The exchange rate as of Feb 2010 is 6.8 yuan to US$1. Note that "," is used in place of a "." so a price like ?3,7 is 3 kuai 7 mau.

Bring small denominations of US cash with you wherever you go to avoid problems with changing larger denominations and counterfeit notes, which is a major problem so be attentive with the notes you receive. It is not considered impolite to refuse a bill or to ask to have them changed.

You will get the best rates when exchanging your money before arriving in China.

Bargaining is normal and the vendors will engage in a hard bargain. It is fine to offer an absurdly lower price than the asking price and then find a price both you and the vendor are comfortable with.

In general, tipping is not expected but is always appreciated. However, it is customary to tip tour guides, tour bus drivers, and hotel bellhops as they do expect a tip for their service.

220V/50Hz; US/European plug for 2-pin, Australian plug for 3-pin