Hot Hot Hot Shanghai

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2004-07-22 18:28 · Summer

Shanghai is hot. Today is, maybe, the tenth hot day without any rain. The temperature is consistently above 35°C. Yesterday and the day before yesterday are all 37°C. This morning, the weather station issued red alarm for high temperature again - the red alarm rings every day.

According to the government’s regulation, all lightening system outside buildings are required to turn off if temperature is higher than 35°C. This is part of the effort to fight against the energy crisis. The Bund and the Oriental Pearl Tower are deeply affected.

Can you imagine if the lights on the Bund are all turned off at night, how it looks?

Image taken by Edward Wang. More Bund pictures can be found at Edward Wang’s On the Bund Album

Tourists are complaining about it. Some even sued the tour agent and asked for compensation for the lack of the view during their stop in Shanghai.

If you want to come to Shanghai, don’t come here now. It is toooooo hot. I cannot imagine a tour in the city at noon.

P.S. Claire hosted her blog at my site http://home.wangjianshuo.com/claire

21 Comments
What do you think, should we ask the government to spend half a million US dollar, send an airplain up into the sky and let it rain?
— Fons · 2004-07-22 20:44
Very good article about China Energy Crisis. Take a look if you are interested in this topic:

http://www.countercurrents.org/peakoil-cheng300504.htm
— JoyMocha · 2004-07-22 22:14
That half million US dollar can be spent in better ways than to make it rain. If they need to cool down, why not build a public pool? a indoor air-con public pool? Or they could use huge misters in public places like Yuyuan and Remin Gongyuan. It cools down the people and doesnt waste a lot of money. And they could build a water plant on the Huangpu Jiang to handle all the people who need the water. There are many ways to get around sending a plane to make it rain.
— William C · 2004-07-22 23:35
They are all cool ideas to cool the city down. Currently, they have the plan to make some rain, but I am not sure whether it needs so much money.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2004-07-23 00:18
William C said: "Remin Gongyuan"

Hahah.... that's the first time I've seen it referred as that when romanized to English. I've always known it as Remin Park. It took me a few seconds to register "Remin Gongyuan" in my head.

Why does it have to be so hot now? Just when I'm about to arrive. I'm so afraid of the heat PLUS humidity. Taking showers is a useless endeavor in such a humid place. Anytime one steps foot outside of an AC enviornment, one will immediately start smelling like a pig. And with a population of 20+ million people in greater Shanghai, those 20+ million "pigs" do stink up the whole place.
— Lance · 2004-07-23 08:10
I wonder if anyone is crazy enough or desperate to take a swim in HuangPuJiang? :)
— David S. · 2004-07-23 08:20
It is not possible David. There are too many huge ships there (most of them are cargo ships) so it is as dangerous as playing basketball on the elevated highway.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2004-07-23 09:18
Lance, i'm just used to using pinyin for chinese and rarely use the english translation. It does seem easier...
— William C · 2004-07-23 09:48
David, by swimming in huangpu river, you not only risk being hit by big ships, you risk getting skin cancer as well :D

btw, the oriental pearl tower has changed to energy-saving lights recently, so it will remain sparkling even when lights on the bund are off.
— Zhu Qingsi · 2004-07-23 10:27
Being hit by a big ship and by skin cancer is not the main risk if David takes a swim in the Huangpu. Big ships move slow and are visible from afar plus David does not have to swim to the deep of the river. The risk of getting skin cancer from sun exposure is less in the water than walking on the beach. The biggest risk, David, is actually from dirtiness of the water especially microbial infection (so be my guest), plus the traffic jam you may cause by collecting spectators on the shore, and also death of some stupid strangers jumping in to save the life of the stupid you.
— bigbro · 2004-07-23 11:39
"Renmin Gongyuan" is correct.

Another thing is the confusing naming of some streets.

Take the Tibet Road. If you say Tibet Lu to a taxidriver, he will not understand a thing. But say Xi Zang Lu, then you will get there !

And Century Avenue - that's Shi Ji Dadao.

The water in Huangpujiang is more than 30 degrees now, so it will not cool so much anyway. If you go for a swim - don't drink it !

I guess that the heavy rainstorm on july 12. (see Jianshuo's article "Heavy Rain Yesterday") which killed 7 people was caused by making "artificial rain", as it was a very unnatural weather phenomenon.

The temperature fell from 34 to 24 in 1 hour - 3 hours later it was 29, so it was just a short relief.

See more about this on

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-06/15/content_339513.htm
— Carsten · 2004-07-23 12:45
I never said "Renmin Gongyuan" wasn't correct pinyin spelling. I just have never seen it stated that way. Even in my official Shanghai Tourist maps given to me by Grand Hyatt and 88Xintindi, the park is depicted as "Renmin Park" and not as "Renmin Gongyuan". It's the first time I've seen "Renmin Gongyuan" used. That's why it took me by surprise. As you say yourself, Tibet Lu is depicted as Tibet Lu on tourist maps and not as "XiZhang Lu".

A Chinese taxi driver may understand Renmin Gongyuan, but most foreign tourist is not going to know what Renmin Gongyuan is.
— Lance · 2004-07-23 13:43
Hi JS,

why the yahoo group cannot remind me of the new post recently? the last notification i received is for 7/17

Thanks,
— Max Guan · 2004-07-23 17:12
I choose the most interesting topic to send. The notification happens manually, not automatically.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2004-07-23 18:24
Ah.. 35°C ? I hope it won't be that hot in September when i reach Shanghai!I'd like to get a good first impression of the city I'll be living for the next 4 years.

That's a lovely photo. Shanghai looks beautiful at night. :)
— aline · 2004-07-24 04:13
sorry, it is renmin, misspelling
— William C · 2004-07-24 04:24
It won't, aline. I expect the high weather goes away after one month.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2004-07-24 10:54
Hi everyone,

I hope to be visiting Shanghai in late oct. I was wondering if by then, the lights of shanghai would be turned on since it shd be cooler in late oct.

Just hope to confirm with u guys. Thanks
— sebastian · 2004-09-13 16:13
It should still be on.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2004-09-13 18:02
Dear tell me how i can my hotmail box 2 gb free

email me at this id

goodboy0707@hotmail.com
— javed · 2006-06-21 14:40
New York City is also hot 36 to 39

My New York greenhouse is like a brazilian rainforest.

Im worried about family in Shang Hai and all of you also, i heard people have been hospitalized !!

[image]http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200608/02/images/xinsrc_28208030209500781323826.jpg[image]

The heat is caused by Global Warming.. This week i watched and sat listening to Al Gore (US elected popular president) speak about "An Inconvenient Truth" he is in New York promoting this new documentary.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2078944470709189270
— Jian Jian · 2006-08-03 05:04