Chinese nationals in Europe share cooling tips on social media as heatwave scorches continent

A sustained heatwave has afflicted several European countries, including France, Italy, and Germany, in recent weeks, subjecting local Chinese nationals to scorching conditions and prompting some of them to share cooling tips on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu.

France's average temperature broke a record for the month of June, as the country closed over 1,350 schools due to the extreme heat, France 24 reported on Tuesday. The country for the first time issued its highest heat warning across half the country for Monday, with forecasters warning the extreme weather episode could end up being as serious as a 2003 heatwave that claimed the lives of nearly 15,000 people nationwide, according to the report.

At least 18 people died in France, including two children left in a hot car, as a heatwave hung over Europe, smashing temperature records in several cities on Monday, Reuters reported. Some 13 people drowned across the country at the weekend, a civil defense official said, urging against unsupervised swimming to cool off, per France 24.

Given the recent sweltering heatwave sweeping France, Chinese diplomatic missions in the country have issued an advisory for Chinese tourists traveling to France to take heatstroke prevention measures and reduce outdoor activities during peak temperature hours, the Chinese Embassy in France said in a notice posted on its official WeChat account.

The diplomatic missions also advise travelers to stay hydrated, keep heat-stroke medication, and dial the relevant French authorities for assistance should any physical discomfort arise.

Liya Pan, a Chinese national who has been residing in Marseille, France, for nearly seven years, recalled that extreme heat previously lasted merely around one week each year, a spell she could easily endure by leaving her windows open overnight. Now, however, she has been scrolling through shopping apps for a suitable air conditioner to purchase.

"It has been unbearably hot since as early as June this year, with temperatures above 40 C for almost an entire week," Liya told the Global Times on Tuesday. "Every day when I do my skincare routine, I can feel my face burning hot."

Liya said that local authorities have ordered temporary school closures and opened some public swimming pools to offer residents a respite from the swelter. Nevertheless, she added that, as far as she knows, many companies have yet to issue work-from-home notices, and the majority of French offices are not equipped with air conditioning either.

On Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, some Chinese netizens based in France have been sharing their tips for coping with the sweltering heat. Some place frozen water bottles in front of electric fans to create cooler airflow; others share air-conditioned public venues in Paris where people can seek shelter from the scorching weather, while many more post firsthand experiences on purchasing air-conditioners.

In addition to France, numerous countries are also grappling with relentless heatwaves. A new study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change found that Mexico, Kenya, Italy and other nations around the world are experiencing one to two more months of heat stress than they were several decades ago.

Liao Jiaxin, who is set to embark on a trip to Rome in mid-July, has closely followed news of the unrelenting heatwave. She told the Global Times that she has stocked up on sunscreen, portable fans and cooling balm to help prevent heatstroke.

Temperatures in Belgium are expected to be "the hottest ever recorded" in the coming week, France's Le Monde quoted David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM meteorological institute, as saying. Liz Bentley, the chief executive of Britain's Royal Meteorological Society, predicted that existing UK heat records for June would be "annihilated," as had already happened in May, per the report.

The New York Times reported that the heat wave is being driven by a strong area of high pressure parked over continental Europe. This phenomenon is often referred to as a "heat dome,"which is a large, persistent area of high pressure high up in the atmosphere that allows heat to build over a region for several days or longer.