China has a marked continental monsoonal climate
characterized by great variety. Northerly winds prevail in
winter, while southerly winds reign in summer. The four
seasons are quite distinct. The rainy season coincides with
the hot season. From September to April the following year,
the dry and cold winter monsoons from Siberia and Mongolia
in the north gradually become weak as they reach the
southern part of the country, resulting in cold and dry
winters and great differences in temperature. The summer
monsoons last from April to September.
The warm and moist summer
monsoons from the oceans bring abundant rainfall and high
temperatures, with little difference in temperature between
the south and the north. China’s complex and varied
climate results in a great variety of temperature belts, and
dry and moist zones. In terms of temperature, the nation can
be sectored from south to north into equatorial, tropical,
sub-tropical, warm-temperate, temperate, and cold-temperate
zones; in terms of moisture, it can be sectored from
southeast to northwest into humid (32 percent of land area),
semi-humid (15 percent), semi-arid (22 percent) and arid
zones (31 percent).
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