Are there mosquitoes in China? Yes. Guangdong is where they matter most.
Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai mostly bring itchy summer evenings in the parks. Guangdong had China's largest chikungunya outbreak in 2025 and sees summer dengue, so daytime repellent matters most in the south, and a rural Guilin trip adds a Japanese encephalitis question.
Are there mosquitoes in China? Yes, from June to September across the country, and on the classic Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Guilin route they're mostly an itch. China has been malaria-free since 2021, and the CDC has no active notice for mosquito-borne disease there. The place that calls for a stronger routine is Guangdong in the south, which had the country's largest chikungunya outbreak in 2025 and tends to see most of its summer dengue.
Guangdong: the 2025 outbreak and summer dengue
Guangdong's first chikungunya case was reported in July 2025, and the virus spread fast. By September 27 the World Health Organization counted 16,452 locally transmitted, lab-confirmed cases in 21 cities across the province, including 10,032 in Foshan and 590 in Guangzhou. All were mild, with no severe cases or deaths. Cases spread on to Guangxi and Hong Kong, and by mid-December the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported Guangdong's weekly count at its lowest since the outbreak began.
The CDC has since removed its Level 2 chikungunya notice for China, and its China page says chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended. The ECDC's September 2026 worldwide overview doesn't list China among Asia's affected countries. Check the CDC's notices page the week before you fly in case that changes.
Dengue is the steadier summer risk. WHO's Western Pacific office, citing China's national disease control agency, shows cases building through summer into fall, with 3,727 in October 2025 alone and 849 in November. 2026 is running lower, with 1,120 cases in July and 836 in August, about half of August 2025. Those are national totals, and the south tends to carry most of them.
Both viruses spread through Aedes mosquitoes, which bite in daylight with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon. In Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen and Guangxi, put repellent on over sunscreen in the morning and again before sunset, and pick an air-conditioned or screened room. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule. A spring trip comes before the build-up, while a September or October trip to the south lands in it.
Beijing, Shanghai and the Guilin countryside
In Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, summer mosquitoes tend to show up on warm evenings in parks, temple gardens and the canal-side lanes of Shanghai's water towns. Disease risk there is negligible, and repellent before an evening walk is usually enough.
Guilin and Yangshuo are hot and humid in summer, and rice paddies, bamboo rafting and countryside cycling put you where mosquitoes tend to be. WHO reported 297 local and associated chikungunya cases in Guangxi in the first three weeks of September 2025, without naming Guilin. Japanese encephalitis is present in China. The CDC recommends its vaccine for a month or more in areas with JE, says to consider it for shorter stays with rural areas, hiking or camping, or nights without air conditioning, screens or bed nets, and doesn't recommend it for short city trips. If village homestays or cycling are on your plan, ask a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.
The CDC also lists two tick-borne diseases, tick-borne encephalitis and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. On forest or grassland hikes and camping trips, wear permethrin-treated clothing and check for ticks afterward.
Where you're going
How the main stops compare for a June–September trip.
Beijing & Xi'an
No malaria, and evening mosquitoes in the parks are the main summer nuisance. CDC doesn't recommend the Japanese encephalitis vaccine for short city trips.
Shanghai & the water towns
Hot, humid summers tend to bring mosquitoes to gardens and the canals of the nearby water towns. An evening layer of repellent usually covers it.
Guangzhou, Foshan & Guangdong
Foshan had 10,032 of WHO's 16,452 chikungunya cases by late September 2025, and Guangzhou had 590. The province also tends to see most of China's summer dengue, so daytime repellent matters most here.
Guilin & Yangshuo
Hot and humid in summer, with rice paddies and river rafting close by. Countryside cycling and village homestays fit CDC's group for considering the Japanese encephalitis vaccine.
Adding a stop nearby? Our Japan, South Korea and Taiwan briefings cover their summers.
The China kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the humid heat, and one 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- Permethrin 0.5% for hiking and cycling clothes: treat pants, a long-sleeved shirt and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. It goes on clothing, never on skin.
- Light long pants for rice-paddy paths and evening park walks.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from TripAdvisor forum threads and linked so you can read them in full. Neither is dated, and both are about disease advice for Guilin and Yangshuo.
- Yangshuo
In a thread about Japanese encephalitis and dengue, a long-term resident said the JE vaccine is only needed for stays of around a month in China, and posters noted that dengue has no vaccine, so avoiding bites is the protection. (CDC's guidance also suggests considering JE vaccine for shorter rural trips.) TripAdvisor ↗
- Guilin and Guangxi
Asked about malaria in Guilin and Guangxi, posters said malaria is not a problem in Guilin or Yangshuo; one suggested checking with a travel clinic. TripAdvisor ↗
One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever, joint pain or rash during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in China and whether you spent time in Guangdong or the countryside.
Traveler questions
Is chikungunya still a problem in Guangdong?
Not in the latest international reports. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's September 2026 worldwide overview doesn't list China. The 2025 outbreak, with 16,452 cases counted by WHO by late September, was mild, and weekly cases had fallen to their lowest level by mid-December. The CDC has removed its chikungunya notice for China, and its China page says chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended. Check the CDC's travel notices page the week before you fly in case that changes.
Is dengue a risk in China in summer?
Mostly in the south, where it tends to concentrate in Guangdong. WHO's national figures show dengue building through summer into fall, and 2026 is running lower than 2025, with August about half of August 2025. The mosquito that spreads it bites in daylight, so repellent goes on in the morning over sunscreen and again before sunset.
Do I need the Japanese encephalitis vaccine for China?
The CDC does not recommend it for short-term travel to urban areas such as Beijing, Shanghai or Xi'an. It recommends the vaccine for travelers moving to an area with JE, spending a month or more in such areas, or traveling there frequently, and says to consider it for shorter stays that include rural areas, hiking or camping, or nights without air conditioning, screens or bed nets, and for travelers unsure of their plans. If your trip includes countryside around Guilin and Yangshuo, ask a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.
Do I need malaria pills or a yellow fever vaccine for China?
WHO certified China malaria-free in June 2021, after four straight years with no local cases, and the CDC's China page lists no malaria medicine. The CDC does not recommend the yellow fever vaccine, and you don't need proof of it when you fly in directly from the US. China does require it from travelers 9 months or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, including layovers of more than 12 hours there; trips limited to Hong Kong or Macao are exempt.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.