Snow and water resorts in Shanghai have been enjoying surging popularity as high temperatures scorches the east China metropolis.
Shanghai's highest temperature in July was over 37 degrees Celsius. Even though the city was affected by Co-May, the eighth typhoon of this year, the weather remained sultry.
Spanning approximately 20,000 square meters, the Viking-themed Water World in the municipality combines indoor and outdoor zones, featuring 26 exhilarating water slides and 19 interactive splash attractions that offer a range of joyful experiences, from high-speed thrills to relaxing floats.
"I'm coming here to experience it. The environment here is good since smoking is prohibited here. There are many activities I can enjoy, and I played in the indoor slides using canoes with my girlfriend," said visitor Liu Jiashang.
Aside from the water park, the snow and ice resort has also been popular this season.
Flocks of visitors and residents have chosen the Shanghai L+SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort, which houses the world's largest indoor ski facility, to escape the heat.
The resort, which integrates sports, entertainment, and tourism, is one of the key cultural and tourism projects in the Lingang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. It spans about 350,000 square meters.
Its indoor ice-and-snow theme park alone covers over 98,000 square meters, making it the world's largest indoor ski facility. The park features a vertical drop of nearly 60 meters indoors, along with three professional ski slopes that total nearly 1,200 meters in length, as well as a snow entertainment area.
"Recently it was rainy in Shanghai, very moist and hot. But here with snow, it is much cooler. So I want to experience how it feels to wear ski-wear in a hot summer," said visitor Yin Xi.
Shanghai's cooling resorts enjoy great popularity in summer heat
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
