**China’s East and South Regions Swept by Scorching Heat**
In recent days, China’s eastern and southern regions have been experiencing sweltering heat waves, with Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province reaching a record-breaking high temperature of 41.9°C. Shanghai has issued an orange alert for high temperatures, with the mercury soaring to 40°C. Reports have surfaced of Disneyland employees in Shanghai fainting from heat exhaustion, including performers dressed as cartoon characters.
A man in Fujian Province was admitted to the intensive care unit after developing heat stroke and is now in a vegetative state due to the severity of his condition.
Meteorologist Xin Xin from China’s Meteorological Channel posted on Weibo on August 4th, stating that at 10 a.m., temperature records in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai all ranked in the top ten highest temperatures, with Baoshan in Shanghai leading at 38°C. Coupled with high humidity, temperatures feel more like 43°C.
On the evening of August 3rd, the official Weibo account of the National Weather Forecast announced that a heatwave was sweeping through southern China, particularly affecting Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang. Hangzhou broke its historical temperature record, with surface temperatures briefly exceeding 60°C.
Shanghai has seen temperatures exceeding 37°C in most areas recently. Reports on social media platforms described incidents of performers in mascot costumes collapsing due to suspected heatstroke during a parade at Shanghai Disneyland on August 2nd.
High-temperature alerts continued in Shanghai on August 2nd, reaching a scorching 40 degrees.
There were also reports of CookieAnn, a popular Disney cartoon character, collapsing during a parade on July 30th, prompting suggestions from netizens to adjust summer parade schedules and cancel ground activities.
Photos circulating on Weibo show sales clerks fainting on the ground.
In response to the extreme weather conditions, Shanghai Disneyland announced operational adjustments, such as simplifying parade floats and interactions with visitors to ensure the safety of performers and guests.
Zhejiang’s heatwave intensified on August 2nd, with temperatures in Hangzhou reaching a peak of 41.9°C, breaking historical records and leading to some small businesses posting closure notices. The province is expected to continue experiencing scorching temperatures of up to 42°C over the next seven days, potentially setting new records.
In Fujian, a man diagnosed with heat stroke is in critical condition and receiving intensive care in the ICU. His family expressed deep sorrow as his condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to symptoms like vomiting blood, loss of bladder control, and eventual vegetative state.
Doctors warn that heat stroke is a severe form of heat-related illness with a high mortality rate, characterized by a rapid rise in body temperature exceeding 40°C, resulting in confusion, fainting, hallucinations, and seizures due to severe damage to the nervous system.
Heat stroke progression includes warning signs, mild heat stroke, and severe heat stroke, with the latter manifesting as heat stroke. Symptoms include a body temperature exceeding 40°C, and even up to 42°C, coupled with consciousness disorders, fainting, hallucinations, and seizures.
Provinces like Guangdong are also experiencing scorching temperatures, with over half of the cities and counties in Guangdong Province seeing temperatures exceeding 30°C. In cities like Meizhou and Jiaoling, temperatures have soared past 36°C, while Shenzhen reached 35°C. Reports from Xinhua News Agency found an increase in sales of sun protection products like hats, clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses, and cooling sleeves to combat the high temperatures.
In Changsha, a yellow heat alert was issued by the meteorological department on July 31st. The Hunan Provincial Meteorological Bureau stated that high temperatures continued to prevail on August 2nd.
At the end of July, the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine treated three women with heat stroke within a single day.