Umbrella or sunscreen?

WEATHER is one of the biggest concerns a traveller has especially if visiting a country for the first time. With a country the size of China it is even more important as there can be extremes in climate from North to South especially in the winter. I have been in Harbin and Qiqihar in the winter when daytime temperatures have been around -30C (-22F) and night time temperatures even lower. I have also lived in Shanghai during summer months where the temperature has been over 35C ( (95F) for more than six weeks. To be quite honest it’s easier handling the cold. So before you travel to China check the conditions.

Weather
Yahoo This is my favourite site and covers most cities in China in good detail.
The Weather Channel This link is to Shanghai but the rest of China is here as well.
Weatherbase Here you can find a list of many Chinese cities.
 

MAPS are an essential tool in helping to find out where you are and where you wish to go. A selection of online maps is given below. Most are overviews which are only useful for the coarse planning of your journey. Very good and very cheap maps can be bought in bookstores in China but they are only show names in Chinese characters not pinyin. Maps with English text are not as detailed but can be found in bookshops and hotels catering for tourists. Hong Kong is a good place to stock up on maps if you arrive there first. You will find free maps of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing at the airport that provide basic information.

China Map

Periplus Travel Maps Shanghai

Nelles Northern China Travel Map

Maps
CIA World Fact book Not only maps but lots of data on China
UT Library University of Texas Map collection. Various maps of China, both overviews, detailed city maps and thematic maps.
Maps of China Here you can find maps (out of date?) of provinces and cities as well as overviews.
Travel China Guide Some reasonable city maps and subway map of Beijing
About.com Here you will find a set of links to maps of China
Powerpoint map of China- Very useful for making your own presentations. With IE, right click and Save Target As...

Distances from city to city are a little difficult to calculate but very nice to know.
How far is it? Simple calculator of world distances and introduction to Bali