Southern China in December?
 

Hello,
I'm thinking of going to southern China in December. Ideally somewhere that isn't too cold! We are adventurous, interested in seeing natural beauty as well as culture. There's much I don't know about southern china such as:

1-will language be a problem (given that we don't speak any chinese languages)
2-what is the weather like at that time of year (it appears to be 50-60 degrees from my googling)
3-how you get there - does one fly via hong kong?
4-in the time period of 10 days or so, including a flight from north america, where could one go?

thank you so much for any help ahead of time.

You can go to Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi Province; and Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in Yunnan Province (which is more SW China than Southern).

At the higher elevations in Yunnan, it may be a little bit lower than 50-60F, but still quite comfortable.

Few people outside the major hotel and tourist shops will speak much English, but tonnes of people travel to China independently without knowing any Chinese. It can be done.

Don't fly through Hong Kong (HKG) if you're not planning a visit there, as airfare from Hong Kong to the mainland are higher than typical domestic flights. Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG) and Guangzhou (CAN) are the main entry point, but Shanghai has two airports - international flights arrive at Pudong (PVG), while most domestic flights depart from Hongqiao (SHA).

Hi,
check out Lijiang, Yunnan - stay in the old city at one of the many clean comfortable guest houses and make sure to visit Yangshuo near Guilin. I recommend the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat - you can google it. Flying from Guangzhou is much cheaper. Just take the direct through train from Hong Kong. You can even get visas on arrival or do them same day in Hong Kong via China Travel Service, etc. It's damp and cool that time of year, which is better than the 40 heat of Summer. I've lived in China for 16 years, 12 of those in Guangzou. Happy to help.
Cheers,
C

Guilin yangshuo is a must visit town in China and in december it is a little cold, but it is not so many tourists and you can enjoy the quite atmosphere here. the temparature is about 5 degrees.

dharma: Which guesthouses would you recommend in the old town of Lijiang, please?

Hi, Shanghainese,
I don't know your budget but I recommend the Gu Cheng (ancient city) "Ke Zhan" local traditional guest houses. A nice one is Mu's Mansion, also First Bend in. If you want something more plush, the Guan Fang Bie Shu (villa) is 10 minutes outside the old city, 5 star rooms, 5 star prices, and if money's no option, try the new Banyan Tree Resort. I've not stayed there but like Shangri-la, they have an excellent reputation.

Thanks, dharma!