A woman holding an umbrella sips a cold drink as temperatures soared to 35 C in Guangzhou yesterday. Zou Zhongpin
Scorching sun replaced pouring rain at the weekend, as a heat wave hit southern parts of the country.
Guangdong, Hunan and Fujian provinces, and the Guangxi autonomous region all reported highs of 35 C and above at the weekend, much higher than the June average of 26-33 C.
In Guangxi, the capital Nanning saw the mercury rise to 35 C on Sunday, the hottest day of the year. In Changsha, capital of Hunan province, the temperature on Sunday soared to 38 C. In Guangdong, 51 cities and counties experienced a heat wave, with 36 of them, including Guangzhou, above 35 C.
Lin Liangxun, chief forecaster with the Guangdong weather bureau, said Typhoon Fengshen was partly responsible for the heat wave. Five to seven tropical cyclones are expected to hit Guangdong this summer, which in turn will bring more hot weather and typhoons, he said. Temperatures throughout the province will remain high and could rise over the coming days, with 37 C possible in some cities in the north and south of Guangdong.
Liu advised residents to seek shade in the middle of the day and to wear sun cream if they venture outside. However for Chen Guangqing, a Guangzhou man whose home does not have air conditioning, relief is hard to come by, "It is so hot, I can't get to sleep at night." He said.
Schoolchildren have also complained about having to do physical exercise classes in the heat. Luo Rongdan, a high school girl, said: "I get very dizzy when we are doing sports because it is so hot."
Fortunately for residents in southern China rain is scheduled to fall over the next few days.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
