China in winter: where to go, what the weather is like and what's open

Winter in China is really several seasons. Harbin and the far north are deep-frozen, with January lows around −22 °C. Beijing and Xi'an are dry and below freezing; Shanghai and Hangzhou are damp and cold, with January highs of 8 to 9 °C; Chengdu and Chongqing are mild but grey; and in Sanya, on Hainan, the average January high is 22 °C ^{(1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 29 · 30)}. Almost every sight we cover stays open, but many close earlier, most by 30 minutes to an hour, and each switches to winter hours on its own date: some in early October, many on 1 November, some on 16 November or 1 December.

This note covers our six cities from November to March, plus popular winter places that we do not cover yet: Harbin's ice and snow, Changbai Mountain, ski resorts and warm escapes. Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027 and has its own section near the end ⁽²⁸⁾.

Photo: Snow-covered palace roofs seen from Jingshan Park, with Gate of Divine Prowess in the middle. (Forbidden City) Credit: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Is winter a good time to visit China?

It depends on where you go. Winter suits you if you want snow and ice, lower prices at some sights, and a calendar free of public holidays until the new year. It suits you less if you want long days outdoors. This is our summary of the sections below:

• Good: no holiday crowds in November or December. The State Council's 2026 notice lists no public holiday in either month, and the next days off are New Year's Day and Chinese New Year ⁽²⁷⁾.
• Good: snow and ice. Harbin's Ice and Snow World opened on 17 December in 2025 ⁽³⁹⁾, Beijing's ski resorts were all open by 8 December that year ⁽⁴⁷⁾, and a snowfall can turn the Forbidden City or West Lake white, though not every year ^{(32 · 36)}.
• Good: lower tickets at some sights. The Forbidden City's general ticket is cheaper from November to March, and so are several other Beijing sights (see "What costs less in winter?").
• Harder: short days and early closings. Winter hours run 30 minutes to an hour shorter at most places we track, and up to two and a half hours shorter at a few.
• Harder: the cold, and the grey. Beijing's January lows average −7 °C and Harbin's −22 °C ^{(1 · 29)}. Chongqing gets 17 hours of sun in the whole of January ⁽³⁾.
• Busiest: the Chinese New Year travel rush, which in 2026 ran for 40 days from 2 February to 13 March ⁽⁵³⁾.

China in winter, month by month

Average daily high and low in °C, 1991–2020, except Xi'an, where the newest figures in our source cover 1961–1990 ^{(1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 29 · 30 · 31)}. Shanghai is the Baoshan station, in the north of the city, and Xishuangbanna is the Mengla station.

By average daily temperature, January is the coldest month at every station in the table, though in Xishuangbanna it beats December by only 0.1 °C and December's daytime highs are a little lower. Here is what each month brings; the dates we have from 2025–26 and 2026 are a guide, not a forecast.

November: winter hours begin and the ski season opens

Highs are around 10 °C in Beijing and 18 °C in Shanghai and Hangzhou, and Harbin is already at freezing by day, with lows of −9 °C ^{(1 · 4 · 5 · 29)}. Most winter timetables start now: 1 November for the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and Badaling, and 16 November for Mutianyu and the Terracotta Army (see the hours tables below). Beijing's legal heating season starts on 15 November ⁽²⁵⁾. In 2025, Yabuli's ski season opened on 7 November ⁽⁴⁴⁾, and Beihai Park stopped its boats on 10 November ^{(Beihai Park)}. November and December 2026 have no public holidays ⁽²⁷⁾.

December: the first snow, and the ice festivals open

Beijing's average first snow falls on 3 December (1991–2020); in 2025 it came on 12 December, nine days late ^{(32 · 33)}. In 2025, Harbin's Ice and Snow World opened on 17 December ⁽³⁹⁾, and Beijing's 13 ski resorts had all opened by 8 December, some in trial operation ⁽⁴⁷⁾. In Chongqing the Yangtze River Cableway moves to winter hours on 1 December ⁽¹⁸⁾. Highs are 11 °C in Shanghai and Hangzhou and −10 °C in Harbin ^{(4 · 5 · 29)}. New Year's Day gave three days off in 2026 (1 to 3 January), but the 2027 days off have not been announced ⁽²⁷⁾.

January: the coldest month

Beijing's lows average −7 °C and Harbin's −22 °C ^{(1 · 29)}. Shanghai and Hangzhou have highs of 8 to 9 °C and lows of 2 °C ^{(4 · 5)}. In 2026, the Zigong lantern festival opened on 23 January and the Yuyuan Lantern Festival in Shanghai lit up on 26 January ^{(51 · 52)}. By our arithmetic, the Chinese New Year travel rush is likely to begin around 22 January 2027 (see below).

February: Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival

Chinese New Year is on 6 February 2027 and the Lantern Festival on 20 February ⁽²⁸⁾. In 2026 the nine days off ran from 15 to 23 February ⁽²⁷⁾. Plum blossom at Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou comes in late winter, from about late January to early March; the dates in guides are approximate ^{(Xixi Wetland)}. Warm spells can spoil the ice: Harbin's Ice and Snow World closed on 20 and 21 February 2026 because the forecast was above freezing ⁽⁴¹⁾.

Early March: heating ends and summer hours return

Beijing's heating season ends on 15 March ⁽²⁵⁾, and Mutianyu and the Terracotta Army go back to summer hours on 16 March. Highs reach 13 °C in Beijing, 14 °C in Shanghai and 3 °C in Harbin ^{(1 · 5 · 29)}. The Yuyuan Lantern Festival ended on 3 March in 2026 ^{(Yuyuan Garden)}.

Which weeks are busiest?

The sources give three busy stretches, plus one less predictable. New Year's Day is the first, with three days off in 2026 ⁽²⁷⁾. The second is the Chinese New Year travel rush ("chunyun"), which in 2026 ran for 40 days, from 2 February to 13 March ⁽⁵³⁾. Those dates fall on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month and the 25th day of the first (checked against the Hong Kong Observatory's table ⁽⁵⁴⁾); we take that as the usual rule, though neither source states it. For 2027 that would be about 22 January to 2 March, by our own arithmetic from the Hong Kong Observatory's calendar ⁽²⁸⁾; the official dates have not been announced. The third is the Chinese New Year holiday itself, nine days in 2026 ⁽²⁷⁾. The unpredictable one is the first snow: after the snowfall of 12 December 2025 the Palace Museum's tickets for 12 and 13 December were already booked out ⁽³³⁾, and Badaling received about 20,000 visitors on 13 December ⁽³⁴⁾. The quietest stretch on the calendar is therefore mid-November to late December, judged by holidays alone; that is our inference, not a visitor count.

How cold, wet and grey is it?

Averages hide how different the weeks feel. Here is January in each city, from the same sources. Xi'an is missing because its older figures use a different basis or lack these measures:

Sources: ^{(1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 29 · 30 · 31)}. Harbin is another league: in an average January its daytime high stays below 0 °C on about 31 days, and snow lies 10 cm deep on about 14 ⁽²⁹⁾. Beijing is cold and bright: about 8 January days never rise above 0 °C, and the city gets 188 hours of sun ⁽¹⁾. Shanghai and Hangzhou stay above freezing by day, but rain or drizzle falls on roughly a quarter to a third of January days ^{(4 · 5)}. Chongqing gets just 17 hours of sun in the whole month, about half an hour a day (our arithmetic), and Chengdu 45 ^{(2 · 3)}. Outside Harbin, snow lying 10 cm deep is rare: at most half a day in a January, in Hangzhou ^{(1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5)}.

Does it snow in Beijing?

Yes, but it is rarely deep. Beijing's average first snow is 3 December (1991–2020), by the city weather service's definition, which requires snow across much of the city, not just in the hills ⁽³²⁾. In 2025 the first snow came on 12 December, nine days later than usual ⁽³³⁾. A climate table built from China Meteorological Administration data gives about two days of snow a month from December to February ⁽³⁵⁾, yet snow 10 cm deep lies on only 0.1 days in an average January ⁽¹⁾. The same report adds that Beijing's average number of snow days a year has fallen since 2000, compared with the twentieth century ⁽³²⁾.

When it does snow, the Forbidden City is the picture everyone wants. After the snowfall of 12 December 2025, the Palace Museum's tickets for that day and the next were already booked out ⁽³³⁾. The museum's tickets go on sale 7 days ahead at 20:00 China time, so waiting for a snow forecast can mean the day is already full ^{(Forbidden City)}. The Beijing News, as relayed by World Journal, reported that one Jishuitan Hospital branch treated 170 people for injuries in falls on snowy days on 12 and 13 December 2025, and the path up Jingshan Park to the Forbidden City viewpoint was slippery, so wear shoes with grip ⁽³⁴⁾.

Photo: Visitors walking on a snowy Qianmen Street in Beijing, with the Zhengyangmen arrow tower and a red tram behind them. Qianmen Street in snow, Beijing (February 2019). Credit: Zheng sun · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

A snow-day loop: palace, hill and lake: Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park. Open the Beijing map.

Is there heating?

Beijing's central heating season runs from 15 November to 15 March under municipal rules, and the city government can change it for the weather ⁽²⁵⁾. When we checked on 23 October 2026, we found no notice for the 2026–27 season. In 2025, several districts planned a trial ignition on 7 November, a week before the formal start ⁽²⁶⁾. We did not find an official source for heating in Xi'an, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu or Chongqing, so we do not say how any hotel or restaurant there is heated.

Where should you go in winter?

Here are our picks by what you want to see. The first group are places on this site, with checked hours. The second group are places we do not cover yet, so their sources are news and operator notices from last winter, with the year given.

Beijing: the palace, the lake and the Great Wall

A snow-covered Forbidden City is the classic winter picture, and our photo at the top of this note shows it. Plan it as a loop: the Forbidden City (closed Mondays, closing 16:30 in winter), then Jingshan Park for the view back over the roofs, then Beihai Park, where the lake freezes in a cold winter ^{(Forbidden City · Jingshan Park · Beihai Park)}. Beihai's boats stop for winter, so you see the lake on foot ^{(Beihai Park)}. The Summer Palace's boats stop too, from mid-November ⁽⁸⁾.

Photo: Qionghua Island and the White Dagoba across the frozen lake, with a stone arch bridge below. (Beihai Park) Credit: Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

The Great Wall in winter

Both big sections stay open. Badaling runs 07:30 to 16:00 in winter and Mutianyu 08:00 to 17:30 from 16 November, so allow for an early finish ^{(11 · 12 · Badaling · Mutianyu)}. Badaling's north ropeway is out of service until 25 December 2026, but the south cableway keeps running ^(Badaling). After a snowfall the wall gets busy: Badaling had about 20,000 visitors on 13 December 2025 ⁽³⁴⁾. We do not know whether the lifts and the toboggan run in snow or ice, so check on the day.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Great Wall in winter: three travellers found it quiet. Three travellers on Reddit (December 2025 to March 2026) found the Wall quiet in winter. One went to Mutianyu on a weekday on a cold, foggy morning in December and found big stretches with nobody around. Another reached Badaling at 11:00 on a Saturday in December (the date was not given) and found hardly any queues; the start of the wall was busy, but it was clear enough to walk freely and take photos. The third hiked Jinshanling to Gubeikou from sunrise on 3 March with maybe 20 other tourists on the wall all day, and said the Jinshanling main gate was open for sunrise in winter despite contradictory information beforehand.

Reddit, 2026-02-17. Keep in mind: Three different sections and dates. The Jinshanling hike was a long, independent day; the traveller could not get a Didi back from Gubeikou and walked to the station for the train to Beijing.

Photo: The Great Wall winding along snow-dusted rocky ridges near Beijing in winter. The Great Wall near Beijing in winter (2005). Credit: Andreas Tille · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

West Lake and Xixi in Hangzhou

Snow is rare in Hangzhou: snow 10 cm deep lies on about half a day in an average January ⁽⁴⁾. When it comes, the lake is a different place. On 20 January 2026 snow covered the West Lake scenic area and people gathered at Broken Bridge to photograph it ^{(36 · 37)}. The bridge is one of the classical Ten Scenes of West Lake, "Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge": after snow it looks broken because the sunny side melts first and shows a dark surface ⁽³⁸⁾. Without snow, the winter picks are the lights from 18:00 (see "Do evenings change?"), and the plum blossom at Xixi Wetland, from about late January to early March ^{(24 · Xixi Wetland)}.

Photo: A snow-laden willow and a snowy lakeside path beside withered lotus ponds at Hangzhou West Lake near Broken Bridge. Snow beside Broken Bridge, West Lake, Hangzhou (December 2018). Credit: 94rain · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Photo: The Zhoujiacun entrance arch on Tianmushan Road, dressed with plum blossoms for the January 2025 plum festival; the arch reads 西溪國家濕地公園. (Xixi Wetland) Credit: 4084470 0.smil · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing and Shanghai: fewer changes, shorter days

Xi'an is cold and dry like Beijing, with January highs of 5 °C and lows of −4 °C ⁽⁶⁾. Chengdu, Chongqing and Shanghai are milder, with January highs of 8 to 10 °C, but Chengdu and Chongqing get the least sun ^{(2 · 3 · 5)}. In Xi'an the Terracotta Army has winter hours from 16 November ^{(15 · Terracotta Army)}. In Chengdu the Panda Base opens at 08:00 from 1 November, against 07:30 in March to October ^{(Panda Base)}. In Chongqing the cableway closes an hour earlier from December ⁽¹⁸⁾. In Shanghai most of the museums we track have no seasonal timetable in our data, and Yuyuan Garden costs less from December ^{(23 · Yuyuan Garden)}.

Our six winter picks with checked hours:

• Forbidden City (故宫博物院) · Book 7 days ahead · 20:00 · Closed Mon
• Jingshan Park (景山公园) · No booking needed · buy at any gate with passport
• Beihai Park (北海公园) · No booking needed · buy at any of five gates
• West Lake (西湖) · No booking for the lakeshore · Open 24 hours
• Panda Base (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) · Book 14 days ahead
• Yuyuan Bazaar (豫园商城) · No booking needed · Lanes open 24 hours

Harbin Ice and Snow World

Harbin is the winter trip many travellers ask about, and we have no page for it yet. The figures below come from news and operator notices.

• When it opens. The 27th Ice and Snow World opened at 10:00 on 17 December 2025 ⁽³⁹⁾. For 2026–27 the park announced on 12 October 2026 that it will grow to 1.25 million square metres, up from about 1.2 million, with 400,000 cubic metres of ice and snow ^{(42 · 39)}. We found no opening date for the 2026–27 season as of 23 October 2026. Last season's opening notice was reposted on 15 December, two days before the opening ⁽⁴⁰⁾.
• What it costs. In 2025 the standard adult ticket was an introductory ¥298 for the first week (17 to 23 December) and ¥328 from 24 December ⁽⁴⁰⁾. Tickets could be bought in advance through the park's WeChat account, Ctrip, Douyin, Meituan and Alipay ⁽⁴⁰⁾. The traveller notes below say what travellers reported paying, how the big rides were booked and what the crowds were like.
• When it can close. On 19 February 2026 the park announced a closure on 20 and 21 February because Harbin's forecast was above zero, with a tentative reopening on 22 February at 17:00 and a standard ticket of ¥228; buyers of earlier tickets could claim a full refund ⁽⁴¹⁾.
• How cold it is. Harbin's January average is −12 °C by day and −22 °C at night, and the high stays below 0 °C on about 31 days of the month ⁽²⁹⁾.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Harbin in winter: five travellers on how cold it felt. Five travellers on Reddit (threads from January and July 2026) wrote about Harbin's cold in winter. One recorded -24 °C on the Monday of their visit and said you need several layers, winter trousers, a proper coat, a fur hat over the ears and good gloves. A second found that sunny, clear weather did not help: hands and feet hurt and eyelashes froze over. A third wore a snow jacket and thermals and kept body and legs warm, but even with heat packs, snow boots and gloves, feet and hands stayed cold. A fourth said they were fine in a shirt, a light down jacket and a long down coat, with heat packs for the feet, a hat, a face cover and gloves. The fifth used the underground shopping passages, including the ones around the station, to get out of the wind and cold.

Reddit, 2026-01-31. Keep in mind: Different trips, different weeks. One traveller recorded a high of -9 °C and -27 °C on the day they left. Two commenters in the July thread did not give their trip dates.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Harbin Ice and Snow World: the big rides ran on app slots, with mixed results for foreigners. Seven travellers on Reddit (January and August 2026 threads, most describing winter 2025-26 visits; some gave no date) described the same system: rides such as the giant ice slide and the Ferris wheel are booked through WeChat or Alipay in limited slots that sell out fast. Some got in. One booked through Alipay and found the rides free that day; one asked customer service for help with the QR code; one simply got slide tickets as a non-Chinese visitor; and one did the slide and watched a car show, though ticketing on WeChat was very difficult and the Ferris wheel did not work on either of their two visits, one of them in an earlier year. Others did not. One could not set up a WeChat account after several tries over weeks, saw the slots sell out in under a minute, and was waved through by the guards at the slide without a ticket after a long translation-app chat. One had WeChat and asked the staff for help but still could not get the QR code. One tried at the start of every hour and could not get a Ferris wheel slot.

Reddit, 2026-01-31. Keep in mind: Not a rule. Slots, rules and who can book may change; the experiences above differ by day and by traveller. Several commenters did not give their trip dates.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Harbin Ice and Snow World: a theme park as much as an exhibition, with crowds and few places to warm up. Five travellers on Reddit (January 2026) wrote about the Ice and Snow World. One said it felt more like a theme park than an exhibition: most of the park was games and slides for children, with ice sculptures making up under half, and most experiences cost extra on top of what they called a ¥400 entrance. Another called it both a theme park and an exhibition, said the entrance was ¥325, not ¥400, and said heated shelters were packed and the Ferris wheel queue was huge. A third also paid about ¥325 through Trip.com and found nowhere to warm up between sights. A fourth said it was overcrowded: the cold hurt after 20 minutes, and getting a restaurant seat or reaching a toilet meant a queue. The fifth spent around two hours there, said the other rides cost extra, and said indoor places were few. The first traveller still thought most of the sculptures were worth seeing, especially lit at night.

Reddit, 2026-01-31. Keep in mind: Prices are what travellers paid in January 2026 and differ by ticket and booking channel. The park's own notice listed ¥328 for a standard adult ticket from 24 December, which matches the ¥325 reports; the ¥400 may be a different ticket type or date.

Photo: Lit ice buildings and towers glowing in many colours at night at the Harbin Ice and Snow World, with visitors walking between them. Harbin Ice and Snow World at night (2014 edition). Credit: Tomskyhaha · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Skiing in China

Xinhua reported from a Heilongjiang press conference on 4 November 2025 that more than 20 Harbin ski resorts offered over 70 runs ⁽⁴³⁾. Yabuli is the best known: its 2025–26 season opened on 7 November, and its three linked mountains offered 56 runs and a drop of up to 912 metres, with extra high-speed trains to Yabuli West station ⁽⁴⁴⁾. Closer to Beijing, 13 resorts had opened by 8 December 2025, some in trial operation ⁽⁴⁷⁾. Nanshan, in Miyun, is about 30 minutes by high-speed train from Beijing Chaoyang to Miyun station, with a free shuttle from the station; its 2025 day session ran 09:00 to 17:00 and the night session 18:30 to 22:00, with no night session on Chinese New Year's Eve or the first day of the lunar new year ⁽⁴⁸⁾. In Hebei, Chongli started making snow on 12 October 2026 and its resorts will open as temperatures allow, with direct buses from Beijing's airports returning in mid-November ⁽⁴⁹⁾.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Skiing at Wanlong near Beijing: a beginner's costs, deposit and cold. One traveller on Reddit (November 2025) took a high-speed train from Beijing Qinghe to Chongli and skied at Wanlong. Signs were in English and Chinese, staff in red coats helped, and roughly 90 percent of the skiers were local. They paid about ¥500 for a four-hour lift ticket plus full clothing rental, ¥850 for two hours of English coaching and a ¥2,500 deposit that used up most of their debit card budget, and they had to top up. The snow was artificial and a sudden gale brought -16 °C, when they had expected about -5 °C.

Reddit, 2025-11-23. Keep in mind: One traveller's prices from November 2025. We found no first-hand posts about Yabuli or Changbai.

Photo: Aerial view of the cleared ski runs on a snowy mountain at the Yabuli ski resort in Heilongjiang. Ski runs at Yabuli, Heilongjiang (2009). Credit: Ski China · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Changbai Mountain in winter

Changbai Mountain, in Jilin province, has no fixed winter closing date that we could find, but its famous crater lake, Heaven Lake (Tianchi), closes on days with snow, ice or wind. On 16 November 2024 the north and west areas closed it because of sleet and icy roads and walkways, while other west-area sights stayed open, subject to the weather ⁽⁴⁵⁾. On 1 January 2026 the west area's Tianchi was closed all day because of snow and wind, while Powder Valley and Jinjiang Grand Canyon were open, again subject to the weather ⁽⁴⁶⁾. Both notices were for a single day, so check the scenic area's notice on the morning you go. We have no checked page for Changbai, and no official timetable.

Photo: The frozen, snow-covered crater lake of Heaven Lake (Tianchi) on Changbai Mountain, with snowy peaks beyond and dark rocks in the foreground. Heaven Lake (Tianchi) on Changbai Mountain frozen in December 2009. Credit: Farm · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Warm escapes: Sanya and Xishuangbanna

If you want to leave winter behind, Hainan and the far south of Yunnan stay warm. Sanya's January average is 22 °C by day and 17 °C at night, with no frost and 159 hours of sun; the Mengla station in Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan, averages 26 °C and 12 °C in January, with 169 hours of sun ^{(30 · 31)}. We have no pages for either place, so these are climate figures only.

Photo: Waves rolling onto a golden beach with green hills and blue sea at Yalong Bay, Sanya, Hainan, with ships in the distance. Yalong Bay, Sanya, in December 2007. Credit: Shizhao · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

What changes in opening hours?

Every place switches on its own date, so the table below runs city by city. "Summer" here means the season before the switch. Hours and last entry are the dated timetables in our place data, and operators can change them without notice. Places with no published seasonal timetable in our data, such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, are not listed ^{(Oriental Pearl)}. About one place in four on this site keeps a different published winter timetable.

Weekly closing days that do not change in winter:

• Monday: closed: Forbidden City, National Museum, Yuyuan Garden, Long Museum
• Tuesday: closed: Museum East
• Wednesday to Sunday: all open

Beijing

Beijing's big switch is 1 November, but two places go their own way: the Great Wall at Mutianyu moves on 16 November, and the Bell and Drum Towers on 26 October.

At the Temple of Heaven the three ticketed sites, open Tuesday to Sunday, run 08:00 to 17:00 in winter, with entry stopping at 16:30, against 18:00 and 17:30 in summer ^{(10 · Temple of Heaven)}. The Bell and Drum Towers' 2026 notice was not out when we checked, so the 26 October date follows the 2025 notice. That notice also stops combined-ticket sales at 15:30 and single-tower sales at 16:00, so arrive well before closing ⁽¹³⁾. Beihai and the Old Summer Palace, Beijing's other big parks, also keep shorter winter hours ^{(Beihai Park · Old Summer Palace)}. Jingshan's times come from its 2023 notice ⁽¹⁴⁾.

Xi'an

The Terracotta Army switches on 16 November. Its timetable page also carries a notice that ticket checks stop at 17:00 at both sites, which conflicts with the 16:30 in the low-season line, so plan on 16:30 ^{(15 · Terracotta Army)}. The Bell and Drum Towers moved to winter hours on 11 October; the notice gives no end date. During refurbishment this autumn the exhibition halls inside each tower are closed, while the viewing platforms stay open and single-tower tickets drop from ¥30 to ¥15 ^{(16 · Bell & Drum Towers)}.

The Shaanxi History Museum is open daily until 14 November 2026, after which its usual Monday closing applies ^{(Shaanxi History)}.

Chengdu

At Leshan the winter timetable starts on 8 October, with the day visit 08:00 to 17:30 against 07:30 to 18:30 in summer. Those times come from the operator's 2025 notice, and the 2026 notice had not been published when we checked ^{(Leshan Buddha)}. The Jinsha Site Museum is closed until 30 April 2027, so it is shut for the whole winter ^{(Jinsha Museum)}. Sanxingdui Museum closes for one day a year, on Chinese New Year's Eve ^(Sanxingdui).

Chongqing

From 1 December to the end of February the Yangtze River Cableway runs 08:00 to 21:00, with the last boarding check around 20:30, against 22:00 in the other months. On statutory holidays the operator lists 07:30 to 22:30 in winter ^{(18 · Yangtze Cableway)}.

Hangzhou

Leifeng Pagoda closes at 17:30 from 1 November to 15 March, with last entry 17:00, against 20:00 from May to October, so a dusk visit in November needs an early start ^{(Leifeng Pagoda)}. Xixi Wetland has no published 2026 timetable, and the sources we have disagree on its winter closing time, so check before you go ^{(Xixi Wetland)}.

Shanghai

Sheshan's winter times come from a 2023 article and traveller posts, not from a current notice ^(Sheshan).

What costs less in winter?

Come winter, some Beijing sights and one Shanghai garden charge less. The Forbidden City's general ticket is ¥40 from 1 November to 31 March, against ¥60 from April to October ^{(7 · Forbidden City)}. The Summer Palace park ticket is ¥20 in winter against ¥30, and its combined ticket ¥50 against ¥60 ^{(8 · 9 · Summer Palace)}. At the Temple of Heaven the park ticket is ¥10 against ¥15, and the combined ticket ¥28 against ¥34 ^{(Temple of Heaven)}. Badaling is ¥35 against ¥40 ^{(11 · Badaling)}. Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai is ¥30 from December to March, and also in July and August, against ¥40 in the rest of the year ^{(23 · Yuyuan Garden)}.

What stops running in winter?

• Boats in Beijing. The Summer Palace operator lists its boat season as mid-March to mid-November ⁽⁸⁾. At Beihai Park, the operator suspended boating from 10 November in 2025; the 2026 date has not been announced ^{(Beihai Park)}.
• The north ropeway at Badaling. It is out of service for maintenance from 20 October to 25 December 2026; the south cableway keeps running ^(Badaling).
• Fog at the Chongqing cableway. A travel-guide site, not the operator, says fog is common from January to March, and heavy fog or storms can stop the service without notice ^{(Yangtze Cableway)}.
• Shows outdoors. One traveller says the waterworld show at Universal Beijing closes in winter when temperatures fall to about 0 °C. That is a single April 2026 report, not an official rule ^{(Universal Beijing)}.

Do evenings change?

Lights come on earlier. Hangzhou's city lighting plan for autumn and winter runs to 14 April 2027: the Qiantang River banks and seven main shopping districts light up from 18:00 to 22:30 every day, and the West Lake music fountain plays daily at 19:30 ⁽²⁴⁾. At Jinli Street in Chengdu, the operator says the street lights come on at 18:00 in winter, an hour earlier than in summer ^(Jinli). For the Bund, a Jiefang Daily report from August 2026 has the facade lights coming on at 19:00 on summer evenings, while one September 2026 traveller post says 18:00 from October to April; we found no official winter schedule ^{(The Bund)}.

What about Chinese New Year and the lantern festivals?

Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6 February 2027, and the Lantern Festival on Saturday 20 February ⁽²⁸⁾. Expect crowds: the 2026 travel rush lasted 40 days ⁽⁵³⁾. This is also when China looks most different, with temple fairs and lantern shows that last only a few weeks. The dates below are for 2026, the latest we have; 2027 dates were not announced when we checked on 23 October 2026.

• Yuyuan Lantern Festival, Shanghai. In 2026 the lights came on at 16:30 on 26 January and ran for 36 days, with lantern zones stretching from Yuyuan to the Bund; the 2027 dates and ticket rules are not announced ^{(51 · Yuyuan Garden)}. The folk-art lantern area needed its own timed ticket, separate from the garden ticket ^{(Yuyuan Garden)}.
• Zigong Lantern Festival, Sichuan. The 32nd festival opened on the evening of 23 January 2026, with ten themed zones and more than 200 small and medium lantern groups ⁽⁵²⁾. We found no 2027 date.
• Temple fairs, Beijing. The 38th Ditan and 40th Longtan fairs ran from 17 to 23 February 2026, from 08:30 to 17:00 each day ⁽⁵⁰⁾.
• Temple fair, Chengdu. During the Spring Festival Temple Fair, Jinli Street runs as a one-way loop with its main gate as the exit, and entry needs a real-name fair ticket until the evening ^(Jinli).

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Around Chinese New Year, trains were the pinch point. Four travellers (Reddit and Xiaohongshu, February 2026) wrote about trains around the 2026 holiday. One opened 12306 as soon as sales opened and still found the first-class and business-class seats gone, and hired a private driver instead at about ¥200 an hour, slightly more on peak days. Another, stuck in Guangzhou, found Guangzhou-Nanning trains sold out for the next two weeks. A French poster posted on 14 February about a very crowded station and described the competition to buy tickets as fierce, with the transport system holding up. One who booked the moment train bookings opened said they had no trouble, that it may cost more than usual but was still very cheap, and that they were a little anxious about station crowds.

Reddit, 2026-02-27. Keep in mind: These reports are from the 2026 holiday in February. The 2027 holiday falls on different dates.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Chinese New Year: lively festival feeling for one traveller, closed shops and a flat mood for another. Two travellers on Reddit (February 2026) had different Chinese New Year holidays. One spent three weeks in several towns, saw shops compete to set off the loudest fireworks on New Year's Eve, and found the crowds packed but orderly, with plenty of officers and crowd control. The other, in Guangdong with family, found shops closed, no community events and the holiday boring as a tourist.

Reddit, 2026-02-27. Keep in mind: One report from towns in eastern China and one from Guangdong. Closures vary by city and business size.

Photo: Large glowing lanterns shaped like a full moon, skyscrapers and cartoon children at night. Lanterns shaped like Shanghai landmarks at the 2019 Yuyuan Lantern Festival in the Zigzag Bridge area. (Yuyuan Bazaar) Credit: Augusthaiho · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Photo: Brightly lit lantern displays reflected in water at night at the Zigong Lantern Festival in Sichuan, with a pagoda-shaped lantern on the bank. Zigong Lantern Festival, Sichuan (January 2004). Credit: Yosomono from Fukuoka, Japan · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

The State Council had not published the 2027 days off when we checked on 23 October 2026. The 2026 notice came out on 4 November 2025 and gave 1 to 3 January and 15 to 23 February 2026 as days off ⁽²⁷⁾. Until the 2027 notice is out, any dates you see for the 2027 holidays are estimates. See When to go for the crowds, the train rush and what stays open. We will publish a full Chinese New Year guide once the days off are announced.

What should I pack?

These are our suggestions, drawn from the numbers above rather than a source. For Harbin, Changbai Mountain and the ski resorts, plan for deep cold: Harbin's January lows average −22 °C ⁽²⁹⁾. For Beijing and Xi'an, plan for a warm coat, gloves and a hat: Beijing's January lows average −7 °C, and its daily low is below 0 °C on about 30 days in both December and January ⁽¹⁾. For Shanghai and Hangzhou, a waterproof layer matters more than a heavy coat, because the days are cool and wet ^{(4 · 5)}. For Chengdu and Chongqing, bring layers and expect little sun ^{(2 · 3)}. For Sanya and Xishuangbanna, pack for spring ^{(30 · 31)}. Shoes with grip help in any snowy city: after the December 2025 snowfall a Beijing hospital branch reportedly treated 170 people for snow-day falls over two days ⁽³⁴⁾. For the Tiananmen Square flag-raising, traveller reports describe queues from the early hours and very cold waits, with a late December ceremony around 07:30; these are single-night reports ^{(Tiananmen Sq.)}.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Dressing for Beijing in December: wind outside, heat inside. Three commenters on Reddit (November 2025 and October 2026 threads) described what worked in Beijing in winter. One said a puffy seamless down jacket did not keep the wind out and was too hot indoors, and planned a base layer, a fleece or sweater and a windproof ski-style shell with zips for the next trip. Another said buildings can be very hot inside, with the big coat and layers coming off, and that leather or other solid shoes beat breathable mesh trainers on windy days, when feet freeze. A third said slush stays on the ground in Beijing and wrecked a pair of shoes on each winter trip.

Reddit, 2026-10-07. Keep in mind: One traveller's trip was in December 2025; the other two did not give a year. Some commenters may live in China.

Sources

Numbers in brackets point to these sources; place names point to our place pages, which carry their own sources and check dates. Published 2026-10-23. Checked 2026-10-23.

• 1. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Beijing station (54511), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 2. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Wenjiang (Chengdu) station (56187), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 3. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Chongqing station (57516), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 4. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Hangzhou station (58457), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 5. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Shanghai (Baoshan) station (58362), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 6. WMO World Weather Information Service, Xi'an, 1961–1990 averages (data: China Meteorological Administration) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 7. Chinese-language page: The Palace Museum, Visitor guide and recent notices (参观须知) · read 2026-10-23; newest notice on page dated 2026-10-12 · official
• 8. Summer Palace Administration, Visit (opening hours, tickets, boats) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 9. Beijing Municipal Government, Summer Palace (English listing) · page dated 2026-03-20, read 2026-10-23 · government
• 10. Temple of Heaven Park, official English visitor page · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 11. Beijing Municipal Government, Badaling (English listing: hours and tickets) · page dated 2026-03-20, read 2026-10-23 · government
• 12. Mutianyu Great Wall Tourism Service Co., official site (opening hours by season) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 13. Chinese-language page: Beijing Daily (北京日报), notice of the Bell and Drum Towers Preservation Office on the off-peak timetable from 26 October 2025 · published 2025-10-23, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 14. Chinese-language page: Jingshan Park Administration, notice on off-season opening hours (景山公园关于淡季开放时间的温馨提示) · published 2023-11-01 (the 2026 notice was not found), read 2026-10-23 · government
• 15. Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, visitor guide (opening hours) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 16. Xi'an Bell and Drum Towers Museum, notice on opening arrangements and hours during display renovation · published 2026-09-30, read 2026-10-23 · official
• 17. Qingcheng–Dujiangyan Scenic Area (official NetEase account), 2026 Mid-Autumn holiday notice with opening hours · published 2026-09-24, read 2026-10-23 · official
• 18. Chongqing Passenger Ropeway Co., Yangtze River Cableway page · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 19. Long Museum, opening hours by branch (English) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 20. Shanghai Guyi Garden, official home page (opening hours) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 21. Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, visitor guide · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 22. Shanghai Botanical Garden, official home page (visitor information) · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 23. Yuyuan Garden, official ticket and hours page · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 24. Hangzhou Daily via Hangzhou.com.cn, 2026–27 autumn and winter lighting schedule · published 2026-10-11, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 25. Chinese-language page: Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management via Beijing government portal, FAQ "How is the heating period set?" (采暖时间是如何规定的？) · published 2025-11-04, read 2026-10-23 · government
• 26. China News Service, citing Beijing Daily, Beijing's 2025–26 heating start and trial ignition · published 2025-11-03, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 27. Chinese-language page: State Council General Office, 国务院办公厅关于2026年部分节假日安排的通知（国办发明电〔2025〕7号） · published 2025-11-04, read 2026-10-23 · official
• 28. Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2027 · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 29. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Harbin station (50953), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 30. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Sanya station (59948), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 31. WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, Mengla station (56969, Xishuangbanna), distributed by NOAA NCEI · read 2026-10-23 · official
• 32. Chinese-language page: Beijing News (新京报), "Is this Beijing's first snow?" on the snow in the hills on 1 October 2024: the city's first-snow definition and the 3 December average · published 2024-10-01, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 33. Chinese-language page: Sing Tao (星岛头条), Beijing's first snow of winter 2025, the Forbidden City and the first-snow rule · published 2025-12-12, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 34. Chinese-language page: World Journal (世界日报), citing Central News Agency and The Beijing News, crowds and falls after Beijing's first snow · published 2025-12-14, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 35. Wikipedia (English), Beijing article: climate table citing China Meteorological Administration 1991–2020 normals (Haidian station), days with snow per month · read 2026-10-23 · site
• 36. Chinese-language page: Xinhua News (新华网), photo report: visitors enjoying snow on Broken Bridge, West Lake, 20 January 2026 · published 2026-01-20, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 37. China Daily, "Hangzhou residents enjoy rare snowfall" · updated 2026-01-21, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 38. The World of Chinese, Top 10 scenes of West Lake · published 2017-04-29, read 2026-10-23 · guide
• 39. Chinese-language page: Xinhua News (新华网), opening of the 27th Harbin Ice and Snow World on 17 December 2025 · published 2025-12-18, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 40. Chinese-language page: Guangming Online (光明网), from the park's WeChat account: opening arrangements and tickets for the 27th Harbin Ice and Snow World · published 2025-12-15, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 41. China News Service via Guangming Online, Harbin Ice and Snow World notice of a temporary closure on 20 and 21 February 2026 · published 2026-02-19, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 42. Xinhua via China Daily Hong Kong, the Ice and Snow World's 2026–27 expansion · published 2026-10-13, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 43. Chinese-language page: Xinhua News (新华网), Heilongjiang government press conference on the 2025–26 winter tourism season · published 2025-11-05, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 44. Chinese-language page: People's Daily client (人民日报客户端), opening of the 2025–26 Harbin ice and snow season and Yabuli skiing · published 2025-11-08, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 45. Lizhi News via Guangming Online, Changbai Mountain Management Co. notice on Heaven Lake closures, 16 November 2024 · published 2024-11-16, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 46. Jilin City Evening News via Tencent News, Changbai Mountain notice that the west area's Heaven Lake was closed on 1 January 2026 · published 2026-01-01, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 47. Chinese-language page: Beijing Business Today (北京商报), Beijing's ski resorts open for the 2025–26 season · published 2025-12-08, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 48. Chinese-language page: Visit Beijing (北京旅游网), guide to Beijing's ski resorts for 2025–26 (Nanshan) · December 2025 (page undated), read 2026-10-23 · government
• 49. Chinese-language page: Beijing Daily client (北京日报客户端), Zhangjiakou press conference on the 2026–27 ski season at Chongli · published 2026-10-17, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 50. Chinese-language page: Science and Technology Daily (科技日报), Ditan and Longtan Spring Festival temple fairs 2026 · published 2026-02-17, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 51. Shanghai Municipal People's Government (from The Paper), opening of the 2026 Yuyuan Lantern Festival · published 2026-02-06, read 2026-10-23 · government
• 52. Chinese-language page: People's Daily Online via Jinyang Net (金羊网), opening of the 32nd Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival · published 2026-01-24, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 53. Chinese-language page: CCTV (央视网), "2026 Spring Festival travel rush: 2 February to 13 March, 40 days" · published 2026-01-29, read 2026-10-23 · news
• 54. Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2026 · read 2026-10-23 · official

Cover picture: A miniature brick Forbidden City hall with snow-covered golden roofs, glowing red lanterns and visitors wrapped in winter coats.

Other traveller experiences

Personal reports, not official rules.

• Snow in Xi'an and around Beijing: uncleared streets, shut viewing platforms and slow roads. One traveller on Reddit (a January 2026 post about a trip from Christmas to New Year) said it snowed on two days of the trip, which covered Beijing and Xi'an. Snow was not cleared well from the streets and shopping malls shut their viewing platforms when it snowed. They saw two cars skid on an icy road in Xi'an. On the highway from Beijing to Chengde, traffic was slowed to 30 km/h because of ice. At Huashan they could not hike the whole way because of snow and a road closure, and took the tram to the north peak and walked to the other peaks from there. Keep in mind: One traveller, one winter; the poster moved from China to the US as a child and speaks Chinese. Snow depth and clearing vary from day to day. (Reddit, 2026-01-06)
• In winter, upscale hotel rooms could run too hot, and a fan fixed it. Two travellers on Reddit (January 2026) said hotel rooms were too warm in winter. One stayed in a luxury-brand hotel in Nanjing where the room would not go below 25 °C whatever they did with the AC panel; staff said that with 5 to 8 °C outside, it could not be set lower. Asking the concierge for fans solved it. Another said the same happened in Shanghai and suggested cracking a window or asking reception for an electric fan. Keep in mind: The Nanjing hotel was an upscale international brand; the Shanghai commenter did not say what kind of hotel it was. (Reddit, 2026-01-10 (2 travellers in one thread))