Some cities and regions in China are turning off lights and locally cutting off power as part of a summer peak plan to save power.
The past two days, it was not just Shanghai’s Bund area that stayed dark by night. The power cuts in Sichuan province went trending on Chinese social media on Tuesday, with dozens of videos and images circulating on WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu and other apps showing how residents are dealing with the summer heat in times of a power crunch.
The power crisis is a result of China’s record-breaking high temperatures this summer and a lack of rainfall. To conserve power, various areas and cities, especially in and around Sichuan province, have introduced power rationing.
This led to some extraordinary scenes from Sichuan and Chongqing subways, where travelers found themselves traveling in the dark or with only emergency lights on.
Some shared photos from restaurants, where the staff tried to keep the customers cool by waving a fan. Other restaurants showed customers having dinner by candlelight.
Chengdu: this is what having summer hotpot during a power cut looks like. pic.twitter.com/RKuIwJ72gK
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) August 23, 2022
Left without airconditioning, some offices also used big blocks of ice to keep employers cool.
In the city district of Dazhou, Sichuan, there have been daily power cuts of 6-7 hours for the past few days. On the 18th, crowds gathered on the bridge at night seeking some cool air.
Some viral images showed residents sleeping in underground parking lots (#四川达州出现停电居民发声#).
Another viral video from the city of Guang’an showed how a woman used a rope to get her order delivered to the 25th floor of her apartment building, where the elevators stopped working due to the power cuts (#高温停电女子拉绳吊外卖上25楼#). The woman had allegedly ordered in food at 4pm, expecting a power cut at 6pm, but then the elevators stopped running at 5pm already.
But there have also been some tragic stories making their rounds on Chinese social media, such as that of a local farm where all the chickens died due to continuous power outages. A female farm worker tearfully shared her story on social media.
“Please let it rain,” some on Weibo wrote: “If we have power cuts, at least let it rain now. It’s so hot, how are we supposed to sleep like this?”
“Suddenly the power went out, and indoor temperatures went straight up to over 30 degrees. The whole neighborhood either ran down to the basement to cool off or drove to a hotel to sleep. I’d be grateful to find a place with electricity in the middle of the night so I can sleep,” another Weibo commenter from Sichuan wrote.
By Manya Koetse and Miranda Barnes
Featured image: Power cut in Chengdu, August 18, image via 三联生活周刊 on Weibo.
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