We developed a tree ring-width chronology of Abies georgei at the timber line in the Big Snow Mountain Scenic Area in northwestern Yunnan, China. The climate-tree growth response analysis indicated that temperature was the predominant regulator of A. georgei growth in this region. An annual mean minimum temperature (AMMT) reconstruction spanning A.D. 1837–2016 was developed with a linear regression model (y = 1.0x − 6e − 5) that accounted for 50.7% of the actual temperature variance during the common period (1960–2016). Based on the reconstructed temperature series, the warmer periods were 1840–1845, 1855–1865, 1880–1895, 1945–1965, and from 1995 until the present day, and the cold periods were 1870–1880, 1900–1930, and 1966–1980. By comparing our results with other regional tree ring records from surrounding areas, a distinctive amount of common warm and cold periods were found, indicating the reliability of our temperature reconstruction and suggesting that the climate in the study area was part of a large-scale climate system.