Top China Summer Destinations: Uncover the Best Places to Visit during China's Warmest Season

Summer is the hottest both in terms of weather and travel. Many parents take their children to travel across China during the summer vacation, so the first choice destination for summer travel is a place where students can relax and learn knowledge.

Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake covers an area of 4,400 square kilometers and has an altitude of 3,260 meters. It is one of the largest and highest lakes in China. Even in summer, its average daily temperature is only 15 degrees Celsius.

Surrounded by mountains, the lake is like an emerald inlaid at the eastern end of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Spectacular mountain and lake views, various bird species and yaks are the main attractions of the lake area.

Bird watching has become a popular activity in the Qinghai Lake area. So far, 224 species of birds have been discovered around Qinghai Lake. Many students learn more about nature through bird watching.

Qinghai Lake

Jokhang Temple

Making a wish in in front of the Buddha, lighting up an everlasting lamp for your family and friends, and taking a pilgrimage walk on the Barkhor Street are the most religious activities around the monastery. Even if you are not a Buddhist, you can do these things with local people to understand the spirit their religions.

Jokhang Monastery

Jiuzhaigou Valley

Jiuzhaigou features its virgin forests, snow mountains, and colorful plateau lakes. The colors of the lakes are changing as the seasons and angles of sunshine change. You may only saw this colorful valley in a fairy book. In hot summer, it is recommended to cool down yourself beside a waterfall in the valley. Most water in of the lakes and waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou Valley came from the snow mountains, so it will definitely make your summer cool.

Jiuzhaigou Valley

Chengde Mountain Resort

Built in 1703, the Chengde Mountain Resort was a royal resort of Qing (1636-1912) the last feudal dynasty in the history of China. The resort is located in a shady and cool valley and is only around 250 kilometers away from the city of Beijing, the capital of Qing. It was not a long distance even in ancient times. So, the emperors of Qing usually spent 3 months in this resort.

Like the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Chengde Mountain Resort was also designed like a huge private garden, which include lakes, rockeries, pavilions, corridors, palaces, and various plants. Furthermore, the Chengde Mountain Resort was close to the hunting grounds of Qing royalty. The emperors liked to train their hunting skills when they stayed in the resort. They believed hunting could keep their sense of crisis. Qing dynasty was built by the Man people, an ethnic minority in China, so they always worried that the Han people, the largest ethnic group in China, wanted to drive them away. The sense of crisis was important.

Chengde Mountain Resort

Shennongjia Scenic Spot

Shennongjia is like a penholder rose on the Huazhong Plain. It is unbelievable to see six over-3000-meter-high mountains in Shennongjia standing on a plain area. It is said that the God of Medicine often gather medicinal herbs on these six mountains. If you meet him, you will keep healthy forever.

No matter you believe the story or not, Shennongjia is a perfect destination in summer. Its 2200 meters’ average altitude allows you to walk in the scenic spot and admire the sceneries without sweating. If you like animals, the snub-nosed monkey base is a must-visit place in Shennongjia.

Shennongjia Scenic Spot

Mount Lu

You may have heard about the Yellow Mountain, the most renowned Chinese mountain to international tourists, but the Mount Lu, which is only 350 kilometers to the Yellow Mountain, is never second to the former.

There are 171 peaks, 16 caves, 20 valleys, 18 streams, 14 lakes and pools, and 22 waterfalls on the Mount Lu. Most Chinese people knew the Mount Lu in primary school, when they learnt an ancient poem about the mount. It reads the waterfalls on the Mount Lu is like the galaxy falling onto the earth. Don’t you want to see by yourself?

The average temperature in summer is only 26 degrees centigrade. You can feel the cool and fresh air on the mountain, but the cool weather will not make you catch a cold.

Mount Lu