Chengde Climate & Weather

♦ Briefing

Chengde has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate, with widely varying conditions through the prefecture due to its size: winters are moderately long, cold and windy, but dry, and summers are hot and humid. Near the city, however, temperatures are much cooler than they are in Beijing, due to the high altitude of at least 1000 meters: Monthly means range from −9.1 °C (15.6 °F) in January to 24.5 °C (76.1 °F) in July. Spring warming is rapid, but dust storms can blow in from the Mongolian steppe; autumn cooling is similarly quick. Precipitation averages at 512 millimeters (20.2 in) for the year, with more than two-thirds of it falling during the three summer months.

♦ Climate Data Table for Chengde

Month Item	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average Temperature (℃)	-8.8	-4.2	3.0	12.0	18.3	22.8	24.8	23.3	12.6	10.5	1.8	-6.1
Rainfall (mm)	2.5	3.6	8.3	18.9	49.5	86.6	144.7	118.2	48.2	21.3	7.5	2.5
Days of rainfall	1.6	2.1	3.7	4.5	7.8	11.1	14.2	12.6	7.7	5.0	2.5	1.4

♦ Tips for Chengde

The best season to visit Chengde is summer; it is also the peak season of the year. People go there for the summer resort, which provide a shelter for people to escape the heat in the urban. Chengde is renowned for its beautiful scenery and the palaces; the highlight is the summer resort. The summer resort is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens, if you are not on a package tour; then you need take a cart to the main attractions. The highlight is the palaces and the lama temples; they are much like the palace museum. The surrounding is always worth a look. When you get in, do keep your entrance ticket receipt, there are several ticket checks.

If you stay for overnight, you need warm clothes; there is a huge temperature difference between day and night. The sun there is hot; bring your umbrella or some sunshine-blocking cream.

♦ The Transportation

Both the internal and the external transportation of Chengde are very well developed and although there is only a small-scale airport, chartered flights flying between Beijing and Chengde will provide you more choices for your journey. In addition, railway and road links can connect you to many cities, such as Tianjin, Shenyang, Baotou, Ulanhot, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia, etc. City buses provide a fine and integrated transport service; taxis are also a good choice due to their convenience and inexpensiveness.

♦ Avoid Peak Holidays

It is not a good idea to travel in China during Chinese holidays when huge numbers of Chinese people are travelling around. The busiest three national holidays in China are Chinese Spring Festival (usually in late Jan or early Feb.), International Labor Day (May 01 to 03) and National Day (Oct 01-07). Spring Festival is an especially crowded time to travel. The advantage of being in China at this time is that you will get the opportunity to experience "first hand" the significance of these celebrations in Chinese culture.

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