Enjoying the Culture 175In most of China, travel in spring or fall guarantees the most
pleasant weather.
Beijing has an elevation of 54 m (177 ft) with temperatures
staying near 0°C (32°F), and reaching lows of -10°C (-14°F),
December to February. It gets the bulk of its rainfall in July
and August and snow in winter. Summers in Beijing are hot,
with the rare day hitting 38°C (100°F). It is more bearable
than Shanghai or Guangzhou in the summer, as Beijing is
not humid.
Shanghai is on the same parallel as the US city of
Jacksonville, Florida, and has similar weather patterns.
Shanghai, sitting on the South China Sea, has an elevation
of 5 m (16 ft). Summers in Shanghai are quite humid, from
May to September temperatures are around 20°C (68°F),
June through August is both the rainy season and the hottest
time of year in Shanghai. Temperatures above 30°C (86°F)
coupled with the rain make Shanghai a steamy sauna
during the summer. The coldest days of winter in Shanghai
hover around 0°C (32°F). Every three years, Shanghai gets
a good sprinkle of snow that lasts long enough to cause
chaos on the roads as fair-weather taxi drivers slide through
intersections and onto sidewalks in Keystone Cop fashion.
Shanghai gets the tail end of a few seasonal typhoons, which