A heat wave has been ongoing in China for several weeks. Elderly residents of Hangzhou, located in Zhejiang Province, have taken refuge from the heat in an air raid shelter. There, they say, they can take a breather from the high temperatures. The city is under a third-level, highest-level heat warning.
The Sipailou air raid shelter in Hangzhou, which also serves as a military museum, was transformed into a cooling center in July. Visitors can enjoy free tea, water, Wi-Fi, TV and movies. Mr. Xie, a retired Hangzhou resident, said he goes there every day and recently even watched the Olympics.
– The shelter is mostly visited by elderly people, who are 60, 70 or 80 years old. Someone was even 100 years old – Mr. Xie told Reuters. He added that it was much colder inside the shelter than outside.
Volunteer Ms. Wang works at the air raid shelter-turned-cooling center. She said the place is very popular, with as many as 800 people visiting on Friday. “It's really cool here, you don't even need a fan,” Wang said.
Heatwave in China
Chinese meteorologists have issued third-degree, highest-level heat warnings in many regions of the country. They are in effect in Zhejiang Province, among others. Red alerts have also been issued in Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Chongqing and Shanghai Provinces, where temperatures are forecast to reach 37-39 degrees Celsius. In some places, thermometers may even show 40 degrees Celsius or more.
Last month was the hottest July on record in China. The average monthly temperature for the past month was 23.21 degrees Celsius.
Main image source: Reuters