Heating in Shanghai

A few weeks ago, I visited Shanghai during a cold spell. The temperatures which were about 15 degrees Celsius suddenly plunged to 2 degrees. The gusts of wind were strong, cutting into my skin. The place was freezing. It was unexpected.

Strangely, as I observed, most of Shanghai did not appear to be heated except for the hotels and high-end department stores. Most of the shops in buildings were open to the elements. Thus, they were all bitterly cold inside. My hands and feet were numb. I saw that some of the Shanghainese would wear fluffy, shapeless and colourful jackets while others wore wool-lined leather coats.

It was an unexpected development to find one of the fastest developing cities in the world in this state of a distribution of thermal comforts. What on earth?

This has left me puzzled for a week or two until I read an article in the 15th March issue of the Wall Street Journal about the heating policy in China. I was astounded.

This is unbelievable but true. Apparently, there is a line drawn north of Nanjing and Shanghai that cuts China in half. This line demarcates where there will be central heating from the government boilers. From December to March, heating will be available for those cities north of that line, for instance, Beijing, Harbin and others. So, if there is a weather anomaly, for instance, it gets hot in February, the people living north of the line will keep their windows open!

It is also noted that in recent years, people have purchased private heaters. In addition, new apartments and dwellings are built with heaters.

Recently, according to the Shanghainese, the seasons has been unusual. A few of them have told me that spring and autumn have vanished. After winter, it will be summer and then followed by winter again. The weather has been somewhat extreme in recent years.

This reminded me of what a taxi driver in Leeds once told me a decade ago. He recalled snow that was up to his knees in his childhood. In the three years I spent in Yorkshire, the snow did not reach up to me ankles. Apparently, the weather has been changing.