By Koh Ewe | BBC News, Reporting from Singapore

With China’s blistering summer heat setting in earlier than usual this year, university students across the country are abandoning their stifling dormitories in search of cooler refuges — from libraries and supermarkets to hotel rooms and air-conditioned hallways.

In northeastern Changchun city, one 20-year-old university student described the unbearable heat that drove him and his classmates to desperate measures.
“Sometimes we stay in hotels just to sleep in air-conditioning,” he told the BBC. “But it’s expensive, so we try not to do it often.”

Instead, he resorts to DIY solutions — like placing a bowl of ice cubes in front of a small fan. “It’s my homemade air-conditioner,” he said, adding that it helped him get through the final days of the semester.

China’s sanfu season — the notorious “dog days” of summer — usually begins in mid-July. But this year, the heat arrived early and fiercely. Eastern regions, including the coastal city of Qingdao, have seen temperatures spike above 40°C (104°F), prompting official heat warnings and increasing health concerns.

A Tragic Wake-Up Call

The dangers of extreme heat were brought into sharp focus on Sunday, when a beloved dormitory guard at Qingdao University was found dead in his room. While the official cause of death remains under investigation, many students believe he died of heatstroke.

Referred to affectionately as the dorm “uncle,” the man was known for caring for stray cats on campus. Tributes poured in across social media.
“The kittens don’t know Uncle is gone,” one Weibo user wrote. “They met so many people today, but never heard his voice again.”

On the same day, a student from the same university was hospitalized after suffering a heatstroke, further fuelling outrage about dormitory conditions.

“The quality of a university isn’t in its buildings,” another user commented. “It’s in how it treats the people who keep it running every day.”

Surging Temperatures, Surging Demand

With the sweltering heat showing no signs of letting up, air conditioning is becoming more than just a comfort — it’s a necessity. China’s energy authority reported that air-conditioning demand now makes up over one-third of the power load in eastern regions. In early July, national electricity demand hit record highs.

Some universities have started responding. Schools in Shandong province have promised to install air-conditioning in student dorms. Qingdao University has also announced plans to upgrade facilities during the summer break.

Students at Jilin’s universities have taken to sleeping in tents lined up inside air-conditioned corridors. Others have found relief in supermarkets, public libraries, and fast-food restaurants. In one unusual case, an air-conditioned eatery in Jiangxi province became a makeshift cooling center for elderly residents — even though many didn’t order food, much to the frustration of the staff.

Meanwhile, in Zhejiang province, the heat led to chaos when a train derailed and stranded passengers for hours. One man smashed a window to let fresh air in.

A Climate Crisis Unfolding

China’s heatwave is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather across the country — and the world. In 2022, over 50,000 heat-related deaths were recorded in China, according to The Lancet. A year later, the country registered its highest-ever temperature: 52.5°C in the Xinjiang region. And 2024 was officially China’s hottest year since records began in 1961.

“When I was a kid, summers in the northeast were actually pleasant,” the student in Changchun said. “Now it’s just getting hotter and hotter. Global warming is real — and we’re living through it.”

As China braces for even more intense weather patterns, the struggle to adapt — especially in places like schools and universities — is becoming more urgent than ever.

For students, access to something as simple as air-conditioning can mean the difference between surviving the summer or being consumed by it.