In summertime in Chongqing, China, Xi Yu* (35) hates the short walk from his apartment to the subway station on his commute to the university where he works. With temperatures often hitting 38°C in high humidity, even the daily water spraying of main roads by the local municipality does little to help.
Yu is grateful the subway station and trains are air-conditioned but is always relieved to arrive at his office. He likes to keep the air-conditioning at a chilly 19°C, even though his colleagues complain it's too cold. Leaving the office is usually a shock to the system with the dramatic change in temperature.
Back home, Yu turns on the air conditioning as soon as he gets in, although he knows it will eat up almost half his monthly energy bills. Later, he and his wife will phone the children who are staying with their grandparents in the mountains for the summer, as most other families do. Come Friday, Yu and his wife will make the slow, traffic-congested journey to join them for the weekend.
