China's climate differs greatly in various regions, ranging from severe cold to hot and and to humid. This has significant influences on energy efficient building design strategies and energy use. Solar radiation data from 123 measuring stations were used to propose a map indicating the solar radiation climates in China. A cluster analysis was adopted to identify the prevailing solar climates using the monthly average daily clearness index, K-t, as climatic variable. Five major solar climates were identified with annual average K-t ranging from 0.3 m the Sichuan Basin to 0.65 m the north and northwest regions. The solar climates were compared with the more widely used general (thermal) climates (severe cold, cold, hot summer and cold winter, mild and hot summer and warm winter) and the major topography (basin, plain and plateau), and implications for building designs were briefly discussed. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.