What to Read in Beijing: 10 Books to Keep you Inspired in the Middle Kingdom’s Capital
- Author
- Jeremiah Jenne
Summer in Northern China is hot and somewhat wet. May through August and high temperatures regularly top over 30 °C (86 °F), with lows rarely falling below 15 °C (59 °F). You will have no issue leaving warm clothing at home, though waterproofs might be useful as about 75 percent of the regions rain falls over this period and precipitation averages 100 mm in June.
It is for this season that the country's Central 'three furnace-like cities’ of Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing earn their name. In July and August the average highs are 33 °C (91 °F) for each city. Umbrellas are essential, though it is worth noting the rain comes in spits and spurts and is rarely constant.
With the arrival of the monsoon, Southern China becomes hot and wet. Precipitation hits about 145 mm per day in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Autonomous regions, and about 140 mm per day in Kunming in Yunnan Province in July. While average highs hit around 33 °C (91 °F) over the summer in Nanning, the higher elevation of Kunming (around 2,000 meters) make it significantly cooler with highs of just 24 °C (75 °F) and lows a warm 17 (63 °F).
Northwest China is warm with occasional rains, a good time to visit the small region of Ningxia, a sparse desert region lying on the Loess Plateau and the plains of the Yellow river, containing abandoned sections of China’s Great Wall. Yinchuan, the region’s capital, sees average highs of 31 °C (88) in June/July with precipitation averaging around 32 mm per month, with most days dry. Xining, capital of Qinghai, is something of a summer resort for the region, with highs around 24 °C (75 °F) and lows of around 10 (50). Precipitation reaches around 80 mm, making umbrellas useful on some days.
April/May
This three-day festival is a chance for the Miao people to experience love and courtship. Young women dress in elaborate clothes and jewelry, and young men woo them with parcels of rice. If they receive two chopsticks in return, they may court the lady. There is Lusheng dancing and music, as well as bullfights within the festivities.
Location Lusheng, China
April-May
On this one-day festival, the people from tribes all around Guangxi province come together, wearing their best traditional clothes, all in red. There are games and competitions including beauty parades, folk drumming, sports and tug-of-war. Young men and women try to find love and there is folk music and dancing.
Location Guangxi, China
May
This one-day festival is celebrated by the various ethnic minorities in Guizhou province. The tribes celebrate and share their history and culture by wearing traditional dress, playing folk instruments and performing classical dances. Many young people make new friends and look for future spouses among the other groups.
Location Guizhou, China
Celebrated in many different places - In Lusheng it is September (biggest one)
This is a popular four-day festival celebrated by the Miao ethnic minority of Guizhou. The Lusheng reed pipe dates back to the Tang dynasty and, as a symbol of Miao history, is played throughout the festival at ceremonies and performances of traditional dances. There are horse races on the third day and bullfighting on the fourth.
Location Lusheng, China
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