East China Heatwave Forces Students to Sleep in Malls, AC Corridors

A relentless heatwave is sweeping across eastern China, pushing temperatures to near-record highs and forcing students to make drastic adjustments. From ditching stifling dormitories to seeking refuge in shopping malls and air-conditioned corridors, the youth are creatively combating soaring mercury levels that have turned ordinary days into endurance tests.

🔥 The Scorching Reality

Summer in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing is typically hot, but recent weeks have seen thermometers soar well past 40 °C in some areas. This abnormal spike in heat—part of a wider trend affecting large swathes of Asia—has disrupted daily routines, strained power grids, and prompted widespread public discomfort.

For students in university towns, the consequences have been particularly stark. Dormitory rooms, often poorly ventilated and lacking adequate air-conditioning, have become near-oven chambers. With evening temperatures barely dipping below 30 °C, nights have offered no respite.

💤 Abandoning Dormitories

In response, students are choosing radical alternatives. Common gathering spots include university courtyards under sparse shade, walkways under tall trees, and plazas where night breezes slightly temper the heat. But the most remarkable change is how many have forsaken their rooms entirely to sleep elsewhere:

• Malls and Commercial Centers: Spacious, well-ventilated, and packed with AC, malls have become impromptu dorms. Students claim they can catch some rest among sofas, benches, or even on the floor near stores—grateful just to feel cool air.

• Campus Corridors and Libraries: Many universities have opened corridors and libraries around the clock. Long hallways with central air systems have drawn throngs of classmates who spread out mattresses or blankets.

• 24-Hour Convenience Stores: Smaller-scale but no less crucial havens, these stores offer cold beverages and a few cooled floorspace, attracting students in shifts to avoid overcrowding.

💼 Mornings, Classes, and Survival Mode

The heat’s impact isn’t limited to sleeping conditions. Academic life is also affected:

• Morning Drowsiness: Waking up pre-dawn to escape peak heat, students are clocking fewer hours of proper sleep, leading to groggy classes and lower energy levels.

• Hydration Overload: Bottles of water and sports drinks are mandatory. Lines at campus kiosks lengthen as supply struggles to meet demand.

• Focus and Productivity: Concentration dips sharply. In overheated classrooms, students complain of headaches, nausea, and fatigue—all symptoms making attentiveness difficult.

🌡️ Why Are Dorms Still Hot?

Several factors compound dorm discomfort:

1. Poor Insulation and Ventilation
   Dorms built decades ago often lack effective windows or cross-ventilation, trapping heat inside thick walls.

2. Inadequate Cooling Systems
   Budget dorms rely on archaic window units or small split ACs that fail under constant use. Even well-equipped blocks face power grid load shedding during peak hours, leaving students fan-less and parched.

3. Cost Concerns
   Running dorm AC non-stop is expensive—electricity bills are often passed down to students. Many residents choose to endure the heat rather than foot added costs.

🧑‍🏫 University Administrations Step In

Faced with discomfort and health concerns, many colleges are taking action:

• 24/7 Access to Air-Conditioned Facilities: Libraries, cafeterias, and indoor pavilions are remaining open all night with uninterrupted cooling.

• Cooling Buses & Lounges: Some campuses have converted commuter buses and common halls into cooling stations where students can nap or study in chilled conditions.

• Hydration Stations: Water dispensers are being installed across campuses, and free bottled water is being handed out during peak heatwave hours.

• Health Watch: Mobile medical teams equipped to treat heatstroke and dehydration are patrolling campus zones most affected by the surge in temperatures.

👩‍⚕️ Health Risks and Warnings

China's health authorities have flagged the situation. Golden BBearing prevalence of heat exhaustion among students has soared, with symptoms ranging from dizziness and dry mouth to cramps and severe fatigue. A few cases of heatstroke—manifesting in high body temperature, confusion, and fainting—have already prompted emergency room visits.

Public health experts recommend:

• Strict hydration: Drink regularly and supplement with electrolytes.

• Stay in shade: Avoid direct sun during mid-day hours.

• Layer lightly: Wear breathable, moisture-wicking clothes; avoid tight uniforms.

• Limit exposure: Reduce outdoor activities unless necessary, and rest frequently.

🌍 A Larger Pattern: Global Heatwaves

China’s experience is part of a broader trend. Climate experts note that heatwaves in Asia are increasing in duration and intensity—a pattern aligned with global warming. They strain infrastructure, disrupt life, and exacerbate social inequalities. For university students, especially those from rural backgrounds, coping mechanisms—like sleeping in malls—offer both relief and discomforting proof of how underprepared existing living spaces are for escalating climate stress.

🛠️ Facing the Future: What Next?

With climate models predicting more frequent extreme weather events, student coping strategies provide valuable lessons—but they aren't long-term solutions. University officials are looking ahead:

• Dorm Renovations: Plans are underway to retrofit dorm blocks with better insulation, larger windows, upgraded air-conditioning, and solar-powered support systems.

• Flexible Class Schedules: Adjusted timings—such as early morning or late evening labs—are being considered to avoid peak heat hours.

• Heat Awareness Campaigns: Broader awareness drives on campus are informing students on how to identify symptoms early and protect themselves.

• Outdoor Green Spaces: Campus landscapes are being redesigned to offer natural shade and cool zones, using trees and reflective materials to ease campus heat.

🗣️ Voices From the Heat

Student reactions vary from resigned acceptance to frustration:

• “I’d rather sit in the mall and eat noodles than melt in my room,” says one sophomore.

• An engineering undergrad remarks: “Studying at 40 °C? Impossible.”

• A senior responds more reflectively: “Maybe this is a wake-up call—dorms were never meant for these temperatures.”

🧭 A Summer of Adaptation

For now, students keep adapting: shifting schedules, shifting sleep spaces, shifting study zones. Their behavior captures a spirit of young resilience but also raises quiet alarms about climate readiness in the built environment.

As this heatwave continues, the question remains: will these adaptations be treated as temporary hacks—or a demonstration of vulnerability that must drive structural change? If campuses recognize the latter, the experience may yet yield much-needed investments in climate-adaptive infrastructure.

As eastern China's students sleep in bustling malls and cooled corridors, their makeshift refuge signals more than discomfort—it’s a reflection of a world unprepared for the next level of climate challenges. But alongside temporary escape, this wave of extreme heat is inspiring grassroots innovation and institutional change.

From 24-hour cooling shelters to rerouted class timetables, Chinese universities are learning as they go. For the broader community—planners, administrators, policymakers—the lesson is clear: the buildings we call home and the campuses we study in must evolve, or we all risk melting under tomorrow’s higher thermostat.

Until then, the sofas in shopping centers and hallway benches under chill air will continue to be sleepy bedfellows for students doing their best to survive—and prove their resilience—in a season of escalating heat.