Shanghai is sweltering under scorching temperatures, with authorities issuing high-temperature alerts as the intense heat has driven up electricity use, ice sales and hospital visits.
Shanghai issued its first red alert for high-temperature this year on August 1, with a second red alert following the next day.
On Friday morning, Shanghai's power grid load surpassed 40 million kilowatts for the first time, setting a new record. Authorities adjusted the high-temperature alert to orange on Sunday morning, with temperatures expected to exceed 37 degrees Celsius in most parts of the city.
In addition to the surge in electricity consumption, there has been increased demand for ice. Workers at the Yuhu Ice Factory in Songjiang District are now working overtime to produce the valuable commodity.
"I make deliveries at least twice a day, sometimes three or four times. I am mainly responsible for deliveries to markets in the Songjiang District, the old city area," said Ye Laiyi, a driver of an ice truck.
According to the ice factory, its daily production exceeds 3,200 blocks, equivalent to over 160 tons. The ice blocks are primarily supplied to supermarkets, seafood markets, vegetable markets and factory workshops.
As the heatwave persists, Shanghai hospitals are experiencing a peak in emergency room visits. Doctors noted that elderly individuals with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions are particularly vulnerable to illnesses during this ongoing period of extreme heat.
"Most of the patients with heart disease, lung infections or chest discomfort are elderly individuals," said Wang Qi, head nurse at the emergency department of a local hospital.
High temperatures spark surge in electric use, ice sales, hospital visits in Shanghai
High temperatures spark surge in electric use, ice sales, hospital visits in Shanghai
Tony Zhu, a Chinese salesman who blends comedy with LED promotional signs, has amassed a global online following by transforming ordinary ads into humorous skits.
In the short clips, Zhu promotes signage products with uncanny accents and impersonations, playfully affecting the speech of the American rural south and even the working-class Londoners of old.
Users from all over the world have professed their affection for this young man in the comment sections of his videos, winning him a fandom he never expected.
"It feels very awesome. I could say, yes, I never imagined that I could be like this, even just one year ago," said the young salesman.
Growing up, Zhu's parents worked at a skate shoe factory in Guangdong Province's Dongguan and encouraged him to study hard. In school, his favorite subject was English, which eventually led him take a job in marketing at the signage company in Guangzhou.
Initially, he made conventional product videos like many others. After a year of seeing the videos gain little traction, he decided to draw inspiration from the Western comedians he admired.
Some of these videos garnered millions of views, bringing in new customers.
"It's not as people thought it could be, like five times or 10 times of growth. No. We made a growth from 5 to 10 percent in total. And to me, that's actually pretty good," he said.
Each day, Zhu and his team create about two videos for social media. To maintain the momentum, a lot of brainstorming is required.
While Zhu views himself as just a salesman doing his job, his fans seem to project onto him something far greater. Some internet comments have even said that Zhu could fix U.S.-China trade relations.
His own aspirations may not reach those heights, but the young salesman does hope to foster more exchanges between businesses on both sides.
"I went to America and I found a lot of ideas that we could learn from. And we also have a lot of American sign company customers coming to China, and they look at what we do and they also find something they can learn. I find it a very amazing thing. Rather than treating each other like an enemy, I think it'd be much better if we chose to learn from each other during competition, during cooperation. It would eventually benefit both sides, I think," he said.
Chinese signage salesman wins global fandom through humor
