The differences in Chinese climates are vast, depending on the location of the provinces. The climates vary from tropical and subtropical in the south of the country, up to the near frozen climates of the Northern provinces.

Most of the land in between is temperate, but extremes of weather still occur with the different seasons. Winter is dominated by cold, dry northern winds, whereas the summer winds blow in from the lower latitudes, making them warm and humid.

The different climates are demonstrated by examples such as the Nanling Mountains, where there is plenty of rain and heat all year round, compared with the river valleys of Huaihe and the Yangtze, where the four seasons are distinct, or many of the northern provinces where rainfall is limited because of the seasonal extremes. These extremes are evident in the northern province of Heilongjiang, which lacks a summer season, and Hainan Island, which has a hot, summer climate constantly.