Surreal Photos of People Chilling in Bomb Shelters to Beat the Heat In China

Cities across China are inviting citizens to beat the heat by chilling out in converted air raid shelters. 

According to Beijing, it’s been hotter than 95 degrees fahrenheit for more than 9 days. The last time it was this hot in China was in 1961. The heat has killed at least two people in Beijing and authorities have suspended all outdoor work. Last Thursday, the temperature spiked to more than 104 degrees. China isn’t alone in facing high temperatures; in recent weeks, the planet has experienced some of the hottest days since records began.

To help its citizens avoid the sweltering heat, some Chinese cities have converted old air raid shelters into public places where people can cool off. First constructed ahead of World War II, these massive underground spaces are outfitted with Wi-FI, restaurants, and air conditioning.

Several of China’s southern cities are so famously hot that they’re called “furnaces.” Temperatures in places like Wuhan and Chongqing have long been oppressive in the summer, and the proximity to the Yangtze River Valley makes them particularly humid. In Chongqing, people have been retreating underground into World War II air raid shelters for decades.

These converted spaces look more like shopping malls than spaces meant to keep citizens safe in the event of a nuclear war. One space in Jinan shows walls lined with wooden barrels and people hanging out on polished wood benches. Another hallway is filled with beautiful red brickwork, parked cars, and advertisements for wine.

The heat shelters made headlines last year too and the practice has expanded beyond China’s furnace cities. Every summer in living memory breaks temperature records. Beijing’s population is living through a historic heat wave. NYC hit summer-like temperatures before spring was over and the humidity is so bad that some parts of the planet are becoming uninhabitable. China’s furnace cities hold one of the models for humanity’s uncertain future: living underground in the climate controlled spaces originally meant to keep people safe from nuclear devastation.