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I always like comparing the US and China as both countries are very large, very diverse (in terms of climate) and are located a roughly similar distance from the equator. Anyway, we will do this comparison in several steps so please bear with me.
1. In each country, pick your favorite place/area (based on climate) and compare the two head to head.
2. Same question as above but from the US, exclude all states bordering the Pacific Ocean. For China, only consider the mainland.
3. Now looking at the two countries as a whole and taking population densities into account, how would you compare them? Which is colder/warmer overall?
temperature wise they're about the same but I choose Honolulu for more likely higher sunshine hours...
2. Hong Kong vs. Miami
I choose Miami for warmer temperatures and much more sunshine
3. I think the US is warmer than China as China has many more people living in colder cities like Harbin, Changchun, Qiqihar, Beijing, Xi'an, Hohhot.. even cities in the "south" of China like Shanghai are significantly colder on average in winter than places like Dallas and Atlanta..
Just for your interest: China provinces along and to the south of Yangtze River (aka Changjiang River) do not have central heating by law. Only some "luxury" apartments provide heating in these provinces.
In other words, poor residents in Shanghai etc. have to bear freezing room temperatures in winter months. Frostbites are not uncommon even today.
Most "middle-class" families choose to run air conditioners when it gets cold, which often causes shortage of electric power supply when a cold front comes.
Just for your interest: China provinces along and to the south of Yangtze River (aka Changjiang River) do not have central heating by law. Only some "luxury" apartments provide heating in these provinces.
In other words, poor residents in Shanghai etc. have to bear freezing room temperatures in winter months. Frostbites are not uncommon even today.
Most "middle-class" families choose to run air conditioners when it gets cold, which often causes shortage of electric power supply when a cold front comes.
I don't understand this.. Shanghai can get very cold in winter.. almost as cold as my home city of Vancouver. Why are people there denied heating by law? If people want it and can afford it, they should be able to get it. Every house and building has plenty of heat here...
I'm only taking into account CLIMATE here...not population, not the landscape, not crime, etc... (the landscapes of skagway and flagstaff are much better than Dandong and the surrounding areas).
1. Dandong, Liaoning (Dwa) vs. Skagway, Alaska (Dfb)
Both are excellent climates. Dandong's climate is slightly more preferable due to thunderstorm activity and less chance of cold rain. Skagway has cloudier summers presumably although they are much drier.
2. Dandong, Liaoning (Dwa) vs. Flagstaff, Arizona (Dfb)
I still prefer Dandong. Flagstaff is very sunny and is much snowier. Flagstaff also has thunderstorm activity but probably not as much as Dandong. The not-too-snowy winters of Dandong aren't much of a concern.
3. Even with Alaska, China is probably colder overall since most of the country has colder winters than their latitudinal counterparts in America, while America still has roughly equally warm/hot summers. There is also the existence of the Tibetan plateau with a vast area above 15000'.
Well, Pu'er city is probably my world-favorite, but I actually prefer Lanai's lows. Still, Yunnan has my favorite climates world-wide, so China in this case.
San Luis Obispo, California VS Pu'er City, Yunnan
It was tough choosing between a Floridian and Californian climate, but overall I prefer a Californian coastal climate on balance for livability. Most of Florida just doesn't get a pronounced enough summer wet to make up for temperatures that are a touch hotter than ideal, where as south to central California gets high enough winter highs to make the cold season much more doable.
Still, Yunnan wins easily here.
Overall. however...
USA wins!
In terms of major cities, almost all of China's are too hot, too cold, or both, and the winter dry season comes with excess cloud, making southern China really excessively gloomy.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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My favourite climate in the US is probably San Diego, but I don't know enough about the specifics of the Chinese climate to be able to narrow it down to one station. But I'd say it would be a hill station in far southern Yunnan or Guangxi province, but not too high up. In that case I'd say the hill station might beat San Diego in having more variety.
I did find this map. It's interesting to compare the 0C/32F isotherm in the two countries. In China things are skewed by the Tibetan plateau, so leaving that out the equation, if we only compare Eastern China with say the US east of the Rockies (since in the West topography complicates things) we can see another startling similarity between the two (as if there weren't enough already). The 0C isotherm virtually divides the eastern portion of the country two - about as much of the landmass is above it as below it. It runs just south of Xian, Zhengzhou through Jiangsu province not far from Nanjing. In the US, the 0C parallel seems to be somewhere below the 40th parallel, in places like southern Kansas, just south of St. Louis, MO, basically following the Ohio river through Cincinnati, just skirting Philly and reaching the coast at NYC. So I think both countries have similar winter conditions until one gets to about Beijing. North of Beijing China becomes significantly colder due to being part of the vast Asian landmass. And that's something to say because the Upper Midwest of the US is no slouch when it comes to cold. International Falls, at 49'N is comparable to Harbin at about 45'N, while Mohe is more comparable to somewhere within the Arctic circle.
China's summers are generally hotter for the latitude and more humid and cloudy. Most of China has a distinct summer dry/winter wet season, but numbers can be deceiving as much of eastern and southern China is cloudy in winter. Sunshine increases as you go north and west (opposite to the US) as a rule.
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