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Come to Beijing in the spring and autumn
Spring and fall are by far the best times to come to Beijing. By April, spring begins to show its colors, though temperatures can still be cold ranging from lows in the 40s to highs in the 60s. May brings the full force of spring, with the freshest greenery, temperatures in the 70s and the greatest chance for clear skies. Beijing does get hit with sandstorms each spring, bringing in swirls of fine yellow dust from the Gobi, but these are not common.
October is the best month in autumn, with cooler temperatures and minimal humidity. Like April, September is a transition month; the brunt of summer should already be past and temperatures and humidity will be tapering. November sees temperatures quickly slipping back toward freezing.
It rarely rains in Beijing but if you are also traveling to other parts of China, particularly in the South where they have a rainy season, be prepared with rain gear or a packable umbrella.
Times to avoid
Besides the brittle deep freeze of a Beijing winter and the hot, humid summers, two other times you should avoid traveling in China are during the Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival, or Chunjie) and National Day holidays. National Day is October 1st and the Lunar New Year falls sometime between mid-January and mid-February. Most Chinese do not have flexible leave and instead go on vacation during tightly regulated government holidays. These “Golden Weeks” were manufactured in 1999 as a way to promote consumer spending and stimulate the economy. However, these weeks have now become an infrastructure and travel nightmare, with too many of China’s 1.3 billion people on the move at the same time. In response to public protest, the government has already dissolved the third May Day week holiday for 2008 and will spread the days off across the calendar by reviving smaller traditional holidays.
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