Published : 10/12/2025
The place with the highest rainfall is known as the "rain pole". So, where is China's rain pole? How extreme is its rainfall?
And where is its opposite, the "drought pole"? What many people may not expect is that the highest annual rainfall at China's rain pole can exceed that of drought pole by a staggering 24,000 times!
Rainfall decreases from south-eastern towards north-western
China is vast in territory, and rainfall in different regions, affected by factors such as distance from the sea, atmospheric circulation, and terrain.
Rainfall in different regions can vary greatly, generally decreases from the south-eastern coast towards the north-western inland.
The amount of rainfall is definitely not just a matter of whether to carry an umbrella, it also affects many other aspects.
For example, in the south of the Huai River, abundant spring rain is conducive to planting rice. While there are spring droughts and summer rains in the north of the Huai River, so dry-farmed wheat is traditionally more common.
For another example, in the south, rainfall is heavy and rainy days are frequent, so in the past, rural houses often had tiled roofs and brick walls, whereas rural houses in the north often had mud-plastered roofs.
To protect pedestrians from frequent tropical showers, many southern cities have verandas over the pavements, and bus stops often have shelters for rain protection, and so on.
China's rain pole, as expected, is in the south-eastern coastal region. Many media, and even textbooks, will mention that the rain pole is Huoshaoliao in New Taipei City, Taiwan Province.
Annual rainfall on Ximao Mountain in Taiwan exceeds 12,000mm
The name Huoshaoliao seems incompatible with rain. However, it is located on the north-eastern windward slope of Central Mountain Range in Taiwan Province, where moist air currents are lifted by the terrain, causing torrential downpours, and thus its rainfall is astonishing.
Many reports cite statistics from 1906 to 1944, stating the local average annual precipitation is 6,557.8 mm, and the rainfall in 1912 reached 8,409 mm.
However, the old record of Huoshaoliao has actually been broken by several other places in Taiwan, it is just that many media outlets have not updated this information.
The current new China's rain pole is Ximao Mountain, at an altitude of over 900 metres in Nan'ao Township, Yilan. In 2022, the local recorded rainfall reached 12,027 mm. In that October, due to the northeast monsoon and successive typhoons, the rainfall of that single month reached 4,574 mm, which is astonishing.
How many millimetres of rainfall is considered a lot? Many people may not have a clear idea. But it becomes easier to understand if you compare it with data from the Greater Bay Area.
It is also on China's south-eastern coast and has abundant rainfall. However, its average annual rainfall from 1981 to 2010 was only around 1,900 mm, which is only about one-sixth of that of Ximao Mountain.
On the other hand, it was mentioned earlier that China's rainfall generally decreases from the south-eastern coast to the north-western inland, but this is not absolute.
Some areas in the west, due to topographical and environmental factors, also have very high rainfall, and China's rain pole on the mainland is in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon region in Xizang.
Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is rich in rainfall and hydropower
The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is cold and dry, but with the Grand Canyon acting as a natural water vapour channel, the warm and humid air currents from the Indian Ocean converge here, forming the world's largest rain belt.
In Pasighat of Medog County, located in the lower Great Canyon, the 30-year average rainfall from 1931 to 1960 was as high as 4,495 mm, with the highest in 1954 reaching 7,591 mm.
Some media outlets have also mentioned that the annual precipitation in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon reaches 4,500-11,060 mm, but without providing specific details.
However, even if these figures were confirmed, the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon would not surpass Ximao Mountain in Yilan.
Incidentally, the rainfall on Ximao Mountain is still some way off that of the world's rain pole, Cherrapunji in India, where the rainfall in 1861 reached a "pouring" level of 20,447 mm.
In any case, with replenishment from rainfall, coupled with the large altitude drop in its basin, the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon has extremely abundant hydropower resources.
As is now widely known, construction on the hydropower project in the lower Great Canyon, began in July 2025. After completion, its power generation capacity will be equivalent to tripple of Three Gorges Dams.
Toksun County in Xinjiang: average annual rainfall of only 0.5 mm
Having talked about the rain pole, let us now talk about the place with the least rainfall and exceptional dryness: the drought pole. China's drought pole is Toksun County in central-eastern Xinjiang.
Since ancient times, Toksun has been a major transportation hub in Xinjiang, serving as a post station on the ancient Silk Road. More than a thousand years ago, Xuanzang passed through here on his westward journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
This place is far from the ocean and located in the Turpan Basin, with an altitude close to 0 metre. It is surrounded by high mountain barriers, making it difficult for water vapour to enter.
As a result, the average annual rainfall is as low as 5.7 mm, while the evaporation rate is as high as 3,171.4 mm. In 1968, Toksun even recorded an annual rainfall of 0.5 mm, which is roughly equivalent to a very light rain elsewhere.
Furthermore, based on an annual average of 5.7 mm, the cumulative rainfall in Toksun over 1,000 years might not even match a single year's rainfall on Ximao Mountain or in Huoshaoliao.If we compare the extreme figures of 0.5 mm and 12,027 mm, the difference exceeds 24,000 times, which is beyond many people's imagination.
Fortunately, although Toksun has extremely low rainfall, rivers formed from glacial meltwater flow through it, so there is no shortage of water. Also, plus ample sunshine, local agriculture has been able to develop, producing an abundance of agricultural products such as red dates, Hami melons, and vegetables.
Ya'an in Sichuan is known as rain city and leaky sky
To add some more information related to rainfall: besides the rain pole, China also has a "rain city" and a "rain capital".
The rain city is Ya'an in Sichuan, where some areas are shrouded in drizzle or light fog for over 230 days a year. In summer from June to September, the average number of rainy days generally exceeds 20, earning it the description "leaky sky".
Of course, having many rainy days does not necessarily equate to high rainfall. Ya'an's average annual rainfall is only slightly over 1,600 mm, which is less than that of the Greater Bay Area.
The Rain Capital, is Medog County in Xizang, where the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is located. On average, there are 260 rainy days per year in the area, meaning rain falls for about two-thirds of the year.
How many rainy days does Hong Kong have per year?
This is not the highest number. According to reports, Mount Emei in Sichuan has an average of 263.5 rainy days per year, with a record of 291 rainy days in 1958.
To make another comparison with Hong Kong, data from the Hong Kong Observatory shows that between 1995 and 2014, Hong Kong has an average of 103 rainy days each year.
As for places with extremely low rainfall, in addition to Toksun, there are also Naomaohu Town in Yiwu County, Xinjiang, and Lenghu Town in Mangya, Qinghai. The average annual rainfall in both locations is just over 10 millimetres.
Finally, on a conceptual point, the text above has repeatedly mentioned rain and rainfall, but this phrasing is for easy reading and is not entirely accurate.
We must know that rain is water, and snow, frost, and hail also turn into water, which requires a comprehensive tally, and therefore to speak only of rainfall is clearly not comprehensive. Therefore, to be more accurate, one should refer to precipitation and amount of precipitation.