Why You Should Visit China in November

November Overview

November can be a really lovely month to travel in China. The October holidays, and associated fare increases, are long over and folks are settling down for the winter. Therefore, November can be a relatively peaceful month in which to travel.

Northern China will begin to see some really wintery temperatures in late November but central and southern China will still see moderate and comfortable temperatures.

November Weather

Beijing: the ave daytime temp is 50F (10C) and ave number of rainy days is 4.
Shanghai: the ave daytime temp is 62F (17C) and ave number of rainy days is 8.
Guangzhou: the ave daytime temp is 76F (25C) and ave number of rainy days is 6.
Guilin: the ave daytime temp is 68F (20 C) and ave number of rainy days is 10.

November Packing Suggestions

Layers are essential for packing in autumn/winter weather. Be sure to read my Complete Packing Guide for China for more information.

North: it will be cool-cold during the day and cold at night. A warm base layer and jacket are good for both day and evening.
Central: it will be chilly during the day and cooler at night. A light-weight base layer with long sleeves/pants for day plus a jacket at night should be good.
South: it will still be quite warm. Early fall dressing is fine but bring something lightweight for the occasional cool evening or heavy a/c room.

Visiting China in November - Pros

With October holidays over, domestic fares are decent and it's a relatively quiet period for domestic travelers. Therefore, it is a good time to visit China's top attractions which won't be as crowded as in peak times.

Mild weather in central and south China is comfortable for site-seeing and touring.
Fall foliage is still viewable in some parts of China.

Visiting China in November - Cons

The northern part of China starts to see some very cold and wintery conditions the later you get into November. Depending on what your plan is, it might be too cold to stay long on top of the snowy-windy Great Wall.