Watch: China's worst heat wave forces people to rush to supermarkets

Many parts across China have been enduring a record heatwave in decades, crippling power supplies and exacerbating drought. Frequent power-cuts have become a norm and as the unbearable temperatures have already exceeded 40C(104F) limits, people in China's southwestern provinces have taken things in their hands. These residents have found an interesting way to beat the heat.

Many residents of Chongqing and Sichuan provinces of China are going underground in cave restaurants and bunkers to avoid the scorching sunlight as much as they can. It could be a good idea for those who can afford such luxuries, but there are many who have to resort to something unique to avoid the scorching heat. Many elderly people in China have set up a new daily routine, as they head to supermarkets as the day temperature begins to soar.

In a video posted by South China Morning Post, many elderly people can be seen chiling in air-conditioned supermarkets, as the country battles its worst heat wave. The video shows a supermarket in China's Hubei, where a large gathering can be seen sitting on the floor. Interestingly, many of them have been visiting these supermarkets for more than a month now. That's the optimum use of air-conditioning in a country, which has been experiencing an unprecedented heat wave.


Each day, these people bring in their own chairs to the store and occupy the space between store racks. Initially, the store staff tried to make these people leave the premises, but it was of no use and gradually it became the new normal. The number of such people has been increasing daily and many of them also fall asleep in these stores or just chill out.

Here's the video:



China's Sichuan province, which is a home to around 80 million people, could be heading towards a massive drought due to relentless heat. Frequent power cuts have forced the authorities to shut factories and dim skyscrapers, but woes have been further piling up for the common chinese as they are not getting enough power to use air conditioning, which is a must - amidst such conditions.

In fact, the heat wave has not spared even the big factories across China. In the southwest province of Sichuan, many big factories including that of Toyota had to stop work after the local authorities decided to give preference to residential areas for electricity supply over commercial operations. In fact, more than fifteen of the 21 cities have had to halt industrial activities due to the power crunch.