Each cell is that destination's own verdict for the month — sweet spot, ok or avoid — with its typical daily high, from the same ten years of climate readings its page is built from. A dot marks a busy month. The last row counts the sweet spots, and the best months are marked.

Before you go

Cost of living	cheap — prices run about 47% of the United States' (World Bank, 2025)
Currency	Renminbi
Languages	Standard Chinese, Chinese, Putonghua
Plugs	Type A and C and I, 220 V
Driving	On the right
Calling code	+86
Travel advice	No advice against travel — UK Foreign Office, updated 2026-08-27
Health	UK Foreign Office health advice

Facts from Wikidata (CC0), the UK Foreign Office (Open Government Licence) and the World Bank, refreshed 2026-10-07. The advisory is written for British travellers; entry rules depend on your passport.

On arrival

Apps — Rides: DiDi, Amap. Maps: Amap, Baidu Maps, Apple Maps. Messages: WeChat. Google and WhatsApp are blocked in mainland China, as are Facebook, YouTube and X; WeChat, Alipay and DiDi all work in English.
Paying — Most payments are made by phone with Alipay or WeChat Pay: link a Visa, Mastercard or other foreign card to either app, then scan the shop's QR code. Many hotels and larger shops take foreign cards, but many places do not, so carry some yuan in case the apps fail you.
UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
Getting around Beijing — Tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB or UnionPay card, or a phone, at any subway gate, the two airport express lines included. A BEIJING PASS card (CNY 20, bought with your passport at both airports and the main railway stations) also covers buses, as does a QR code from Alipay's Transport tab.
Getting around Shanghai — Tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB or UnionPay card at any metro gate, in and out; the Maglev from Pudong airport takes them too. Or scan in with the Metro Daduhui app, which links a foreign card, Alipay or WeChat Pay.
Tipping — Not expected in most restaurants and hotels, or in taxis; bars and cafeterias in hotels, and some other restaurants and bars, may add a 10-15% service charge.
Emergency — police 110 · ambulance 120 · fire 119. Traffic police are on 122.
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.

Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 7 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.

Sources (27)

Every verdict here is the destination's own: ten years of climate readings, the public holidays that crowd it, and what the flight costs. Nothing is said about China as a whole that was not first measured at each place in it.