BEIJING: As a heat wave has swept across southern China in recent days, many people in big cities have found that air raid shelters are an ideal place to hide from the scorching sun.
These underground havens remain at temperatures of about 24-26 C, even when it exceeds 40 C outside. As a result, some cities have turned these shelters into rest centers which are open to the public for free in the summer, especially in China’s “three stoves” of Nanjing, Chongqing and Wuhan, which have high summer temperatures.
Luo Ning, 65, a retiree in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, has taken his 8-year-old granddaughter to a shelter near his home after lunch in recent days, where people can get something to drink, watch television, read magazines and books, use Wi-Fi and even access first-aid services.
“We feel more comfortable in this naturally cool place than in air-conditioned rooms,” he said. “The shelters are well equipped with good ventilation and lighting, so we really enjoy staying here.”
Nanjing Civil Air Defense Office stepped up its anti-infection measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic when it opened the city’s shelters to the public this year, according to Yao Feng, an official from the office.
Everyone who wants to enter the shelters must follow infection prevention protocols and wear a mask all the time within them, she said.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
