Based on the NCAR/NCEP reanalysis and ERA-40 datasets, the relationship between the North Pacific subtropical mode water (STMW) and the interannual change of autumn－winter air temperature over China was revealed by using composite and correlation (regression) analysis. It was found that the relationship between the autumn－winter air temperature over China and the summer STMW intensity was linked by the anomalous patterns of the Asian－Pacific atmospheric circulation and the sea surface temperature （SST） anomalies over the collocated reemergence area of STMW (20°N－27°N, 125°E－150°E), that is the Kuroshio area. The main conclusions are: 1）The strong summer STMW is usually accompanied by the low air temperature over the northwestern and northeastern parts of China and the Changjiang－Huaihe valley during autumn; and the high air temperature over the northwestern and northeastern parts of China during winter,and vice versa. 2）A possible process that links the summer STMW with the autumn－winter air temperature is also revealed. First of all, the authors pointed out that the summer STMW anomaly can impose an effect on the thermocline depth and the SST anomaly over the Kuroshio area during autumn. The strong summer STMW is usually companied by the shallow thermocline depth and negative SST anomalies over the Kuroshio area during autumn and positive SST anomalies during winter, and vice versa. 3）In the strong summer STMW cases, the anomalous northerly to the western flank of the anomalous cyclone, which is corresponding to the autumn cold SST over the collocated reemergence area, guides the cold air to China, meanwhile, the anomalous cold high pressure over eastern Europe extents southeastward, leading to the low air temperature over the northwestern and northeastern parts of China and the ChangjiangHuaihe valley during autumn. Affected by the continuous accumulation of the endothermic process over the cold SST area in autumn, the positive SST anomaly emergences over the Kuroshio area during winter. Then the anomalous southerly to the western flank of the anomalous anticyclone, which is accompanied by the warm SST anomaly， weakens the winter monsoon intensity over the northeastern part of China, and leads to the high air temperature there. Meanwhile, the weak cold air over eastern Europe is blocked by the downstream cyclonic circulation, causing the warm air temperature over the northwestern part of China during winter. The situation in the weak STMW cases contains the opposite features to the aforementioned strong STMW cases.