Across China: Soaring temperatures heat up consumption in central Chinese city

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-08 20:32:28|Editor: mingmei
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CHANGSHA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tens of millions of Chinese have sweltered through the scorching weather of the summer since August as a record-breaking heatwave hit across much of central, northern and eastern China.

Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province, broke its record high temperature twice in a few weeks, adding pressure to the power grids and forcing the local meteorological bureau to issue alerts. Not only air-conditioned rooms but take-out services and online orders have become must-haves for the citizens to survive the hot summer days.

Figures from Freshhema's Changsha branch, e-commerce giant Alibaba's retail platform, released last Saturday pointed to the strongest online grocery sales since July thanks to the heatwave.

During lunch, Freshhema's stores across Changsha are always packed with takeaway delivery drivers, ready to feed the hungry diners at their homes and workplaces with seafood dishes, cold drinks and fruits in season, said a manager of a downtown store.

After nightfall, Changsha begins to see bustling food streets packed with eaters peeling crawfish and gulping down cold beers. Eateries, malls and cinemas have taken the front seat in witnessing the Changsha's robust consumption after dark as summer fuels an appetite for nighttime services.

"Every restaurant will set up air conditioner fans in its outdoor dining area to cool off the diners during nighttime service and ensure there are enough supplies of cold drinks," said a manager surnamed Wang of a downtown restaurant.

Second-tier cities including Changsha saw the strongest growth in take-out services after 9 p.m., while in many third- and fourth-tier cities, the number of couriers bustling around at night grew by over 60 percent year on year, according to a report released by Alibaba.

Savvy business owners have eyed a wide range of services for city dwellers during the heatwave such as free delivery service and errand-running services.

Experts say catering services, ride-hailing services and online retail sales of fresh food have become new indicators of Chinese cities' economy vitality due to the heatwave.

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