January is the coldest month in China, and the main tourist themes in this month are related to ice and snow.
You can experience great winter scenery and ski resorts in northern China, such as in Harbin, Beijing, and Changbaishan. The official opening ceremony of the annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is on January 5th and the celebration will last till late February of the next year.
Yunnan and Sanya becomes a favorite for people who prefer a warm winter holiday.
Chinese New Year 2024 falls on February 10th. Travel with your family to immerse in the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.
1. Harbin — Enchantment at Minus 20 °C
- Average January temperatures: -24–-13°C (-11–9°F)
- Read more on Harbin Weather: Ice Festival Temperature & Packing, 6 Day Forecast
Harbin, located in the northeast of China, is the city for the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival runs throughout January. It's a crystalline fairyland of ice palaces, famous figures, cute animals, etc.
World famous landmarks, such as the Great Wall and Disney Castle, are carved out of ice and snow and lit up with colorful lights.
Skiing is another popular activity. Harbin has one of China's best ski resorts called Yabuli Ski Resort. Staying 3 nights in the Club Med Yabuli to enjoy a all-inclusive skiing holiday with your family.
Recommended winter tours including Harbin:
- 6-Day Harbin Ice Festival and Yabuli Club Med Tour
- 5-Day Harbin and China Snow Town Tour
- One-Day Ice and Snow Fairyland Tour
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Beautiful Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful guide, whose praises we can not sing loudly enough, was compassionate, caring, and overall endearing! His sense of ease and familiarity with each sight, which were unfamiliar wonders to us, provided a sense of peacefulness that facilitated full enjoyment - helped too by his punctuality and attention to detail. more
Feb 2024, apisn2023
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The Highlights and High Life of Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful tour guide, made our entire trip an absolute joy for us as he was extraordinarily caring, considerate, and generous. Having had the pleasure of taking in the sights of Beijing previously with another lovely guide, Angela, it was spectacular not only to show the family how fantastic the city is but also how high the quality of services provided by China Highlights are. Each day unveiled a new treasure, helpfully detailed by Ethan, and punctuated by delicious and varied local food. Our driver, Mr. Chen, was also a delight, and was equally as key to the overall experience as he was both attentive and almost mystically punctual! more
Feb 2024, Apis
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Great Time in Beijing
Our 4-day experience in Beijing was unforgettable. Our guide, Selinda, opened the doors to the city's millennia-old history and culture with her knowledge, kindness, and courtesy. We discovered magnificent places, tasted delicious food, and stayed in clean hotels, all accompanied by safe and reliable transportation service. We recommend traveling with China Highlights. more
Feb 2024, Nicola B
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3rd time the charm, is being charmed for the 3rd time.
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan Mueller
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3rd time the charm, is charmed for the 3rd time
The sites stay the same but each time we have done this tour, the tour guides manage to make it feel like it is the first time you are experiencing it. And, with the constant renovations, this time we were able to see previous areas that were unavailable the last time we came. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan M
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Great trip and experience!
From beginning to end, China Highlights was very courteous, responsive and attentive in planning and executing a great trip!Aspects and execution of the trip was as discussed and was an overall great experience. Our guide, Michael, was very kind and knowledgeable throughout the tour and would address all questions and help us take lots of photos. Would definitely travel with China Highlights again! more
Feb 2024, Karol
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3rd the charm is charmed for the 3rd time
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, jkjmueller
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1 Day in Beijing
Nice views, Not too much people, Jessi (guide ) so friendly and she have a great service & she knows the answer of all your questions more
Feb 2024, Fernando J
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Fabulous day!
Jesse He ,she is a nice tourist guide patience and take good care for us. We had a wonderful time in Beijing,we did the forbidden city and greatwall We love everything ! more
Feb 2024, Charon R
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs more
Jan 2024, Iriana Iriana
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An excellent day with Linda
Linda (Ling ling)is a great tour guide,provide a lot of knowledge and history of the great wall,and took us to taste very delicious food too,we had a very good time with her!highly recommend her! more
Jan 2024, Angeline Lim
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Great time in Beijing with Bruce
We stayed in Beijing for three days altogether. We went to the summer palace. the Tian'an'men square, the Forbidden City,the Temple of heaven and the Great Wall. Our tour guide Bruce is very friendly and speaks English fluently. He explained every scenic spot to us patiently and humorously. my family are very satisfied with his service. more
Jan 2024, Mayra C
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Bucket List Trip to China
My first stop in China was Beijing. Ethan was my guide there. Daily, they would pick me up and take me to the spots on the itinerary. He helped me plan outside activities like a Chinese acrobat show. He even walked me to my seat in my theater so I could easily find my correct chair. What was most helpful was Ethan waiting with me at the train station and even helping me on to my seat and giving the train attendant my meal order. Very little English was spoken by the train attendant. more
Jan 2024, Megan Sandbothe
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Great Wall at Jinshanling
We went to the Great Wall at Jinshanling which is a very beautiful place which is not that busy. In fact most of the time it felt like we were alone on the wall.The tourguide (Jack) was very knowledgeable and very friendly.A big thumbs up more
Jan 2024, Onno
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs. We had great 3 days in Beijing.We also visited Luoyang. Our travel advisor arranged a Business class seat for our high speed train to Luoyang. We were picked up at the station by our guide in Luoyang, Lisa. We then visited Dengfeng to see Songyang academy, shaolin temple, Luoyang grottoes. She also took care of us very well and very knowledgeable about the history. more
Jan 2024, lriana lriana
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing! more
Jan 2024, Lydia
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing more
Jan 2024, Explore49612084715
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Beijing
Fantastic couple days in Beijing. Thank you to my guide Mark who eloquently relayed stories about China history and culture. more
Jan 2024, Steve P
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Jack is an excellent guide
Jack is an excellent guide, very patient, punctual, wonderful command of english. I recommend him any day. more
Jan 2024, Brahma
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Great intro to 🇨🇳
Candy was fabulous right from the start. She was knowledgeable, passionate and a lot of fun. Our introduction to China and Beijing was an interesting and memorable one!! more
Jan 2024, Jo66
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2. Beijing — Traditional Temple Fairs of Chinese New Year
The special silence of winter with fewer tourists in Beijing will make your visits to historical sites (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, etc.) much more peaceful and profound.
Chinese New Year 2024 falls on February 10th. Many people go to Beijing's traditional temple fairs during the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) for ritual praying, entertainment, snacks, and buying crafts. They are a great opportunity to experience local culture and traditions. (Check out Beijing's Top Temple Fairs)
Recommended Beijing Tours:
- 6-Day Beijing Chinese New Year Tour
- 6-Day Beijing Winter Tour with Skiing in a Winter Olympic Cluster
- 5-Day Beijing Family Tour
3. Jilin & Mt. Changbaishan — Rime Wonder and Skiing
- Average January temperatures: -24°C–2°C (-11°F–36°F)
Rime in Jilin, the karst landscape of Guilin, the Stone Forest in Yunnan, and the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River are the "Four Amazing Natural Wonders of China". If you like photography and look for spectacular winter scenery, the rime wonder of Jilin City should not be missed.
The Songhua River is frozen in winter, but the temperature of the water flowing under the ice is kept at 4°C. The big difference in temperature produces a lot of mist, which turns into rime hanging on the trees along the banks of the river.
The best time to appreciate the rime lasts from December to late February and the city holds its Rime and Ice Festival in mid-January every year.
Skiing is another main tourist theme in Jilin City, and the best ski resorts are Changbai Mountain Resort, Beidahu Ski Resort, Songhuahu Ski Resort, and Zhuqueshan Ski Resort.
Recommended Winter Tours:
- 7-Day Harbin, Yabuli, China Snow Town, and Jilin Tour
- 7-Day Harbin, China Snow Town, and Changbai Mountain Tour
4. Yunnan (Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Dali, Lijiang, Xishuangbanna)
- Average January temperatures: 7–29°C (45–48°F)
- Read more about Kunming Weather in January.
With clear skies prevailing above Erhai Lake in Dali, warm winter sunshine in the ancient town of Lijiang, the pristine and holy land of Shangri-La, and exotic tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan has become a top destination for China expats, especially family groups.
The Yuanyang Rice Terraces in Kunming is one of China's five most beautiful rice terraces. It is recommended for magnificent natural scenery and mild winters. The best period to visit the rice terraces lasts from December to March (when the rice terraces are irrigated but without crops), and January is the best month.
At the beginning of the twelfth Chinese month (which always falls in December or January), the local Hani people hold a "long street banquet" — always hundreds of meters long — to sacrifice to their dragon god. You can experience unique minority customs there.
Recommended Yunnan tours for winter:
- 9-Day Yunnan Family Tour to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-la
- 7-Day Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang Winter Tour
- 6-Day Jianshui and Yuanyang Terraced Fields Tour
- Check out more Yunnan Tours
5. Chengdu — Glacier, Hot Pot, and Pandas
- Average February temperatures: 3–11°C (37–52°F)
- Read more on Chengdu Weather in January.
Getting close to pandas will be an unforgettable moment in your winter holidays.
Besides meeting the lovely Giant Pandas, you can taste real Sichuan food and learn how to cook authentic Sichuan cuisine. The hot and spicy food will ward off the cold.
You can also enjoy the fun of skiing in beautiful Bipenggou National Park (3½ hours away by car), and soak in a natural mineral hot spring in a snowy wonderland.
In addition, Mount Emei provides beautiful snowy scenery in winter with sweeping cliffs, high-reaching peaks, gushing waterfalls, gurgling springs, and towering ancient trees.
Recommended Chengdu Tours
- 4-Day Wolong In-Depth Panda Tour
- 5-Day Chengdu and Bipenggou Tour
- 5-Day Chengdu, Leshan, and Mount Emei Tour
6. Xiamen — Explore Mulan's Hometown
- Average January temperatures: 11–18°C (52–64°F)
- Read more on Xiamen Weather in January.
Relatively mild temperatures in January compared to China's northern cities make Xiamen a good place to visit, though it is not as warm as Sanya (below). Although a popular destination, there aren't many tourists in Xiamen in January. You will have more space and time to enjoy your trip to the full.
Feel the artistic temperament of uncrowded Gulangyu Island, and pay a visit to the Fujian Tulou (earthen castles) — Mulan's movie home, which is the traditional architectural style of Hakka people in the Fujian area.
Recommended Xiamen Tours
7. Sanya — Sunny Beach Time
- Average January temperatures: 20–27°C (68–81°F)
- Read more on Xiamen Weather in January.
Lying in the tropics, Sanya's "winters" feature sun, blue sea, clear skies, soft sand, and warm weather.
There, you can sunbathe on a private beach, do some water activities such as surfing, snorkeling, swimming, and motorboat riding, and enjoy a rainforest hot spring at nightfall while you listen to the birds' evening chorus.
Recommended Sanya Tours
Plan Your Winter Holiday with Us
For travelers who prefer snow scenery and activities, see our most recommended customizable ice and snow tours:
- 7-Day Harbin, Yabuli, China Snow Town, and Jilin Tour — Charming Northeast China
- 7-Day Harbin, China Snow Town, and Changbai Mountain Tour — Fascinating Changbai Mountain
- 6-Day Beijing Winter Tour — Skiing in a 2022 Olympic Winter Games Venue
- 5-Day Chengdu and Hailuogou Tour — a Song of Ice and Fire
For those who'd prefer a warm winter escape, see our top recommended customizable warm winter tours:
- 5-Day Sanya Tour with the Best Beach — a Feast of Sea, Shore, and Sun
- 6-Day Xishuangbanna and Pu'er Tour — Escape to the Rainforest
- 7-Day Kunming, Dali and Lijiang Winter Tour — A Warm Winter Trip in Yunnan
- 8-Day Yunnan Tour of the Nu River and Tengchong — Discover Northwest Yunnan
Or contact us if you have any questions or requirements to design a tour.