A lingering heatwave is burning Shanxi Province in north China, with temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius in parts of several cities, including Taiyuan, Jinzhong, Linfen, and Yuncheng, where cooling measures have been taken.
The province's meteorological authorities issued orange high-temperature alert, the second highest on a three-tier warning system, on Thursday.
Local authorities in Taiyuan have implemented multiple measures to mitigate the blazing temperatures.
The sanitation authorities in Taiyuan, the provincial capital, have adjusted outdoor working hours for sanitation workers, and deployed more sweeper trucks and water sprinklers to spray water on streets more frequently, so as to help cool the city down.
"Currently our center's over 40 sanitation vehicles are all operating on roads, combining water-spraying, mist-spraying, and sweeping. We've increased these vehicles' operating trips in key period of high temperature in the afternoon to maximize their cooling and dust-suppressing effects," said Shi Hua, director of the emergency response division at the center for sanitation services and waste transfer in Taiyuan.
As residential water demand has surged with rising temperatures, the city has also intensified the patrol to check water supply systems so as to identify hidden hazards and shoot any troubles timely.
"To ensure our equipment's full-load operation, we've set up emergency repair teams on standby round the clock to handle any sudden troubles," said Cui Kai, a manager in Taiyuan Water Supply Group.
High temperatures in Shanxi's central and southern parts are forecast to persist from Friday to Saturday, according to the provincial meteorological observatory. Residents are advised to avoid outdoor activities at heat hours and take precautions against heatstroke.
Heatwave burns Shanxi
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
