African tourist suffers heatstroke in Beijing

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Provinces and regions across China are baking under a scorching heatwave, and in the capital city Beijing, temperatures have hit the high 30s.

Recently trending on microblogging site Weibo was a photo of an African man resting under an umbrella with towel on head in Beijing.

Photo from China's leading social media Weibo

According to the Beijing Morning Post, he is from an island country in Africa, and suffered from heatstroke while at the Tian’anmen Square around noon on July 13, 2017.

Medical staff said the 60-year-old man’s blood pressure and body temperature was higher than normal.

He rested for a while under the shade and was able to leave on his own later.

CFP Photo

The photo quickly spread online, as Chinese people have the misconception that all Africans are better at enduring heat.

However, the fact is not all of the African continent experiences extreme heat during summer.

Some countries even have mild, cool climates. For example, the temperature in Kenya's capital Nairobi averages about 19 degree Celsius, with a significant amount of rainfall every year.

CFP Photo

The incident happened when a record-breaking heatwave hit a large part of China for consecutive days, and the sweltering weather is expected to last for another few days.

An orange alert for heat — the second-highest out of a four-tier warning system — was issued in many provinces and cities across the nation, as more than 30 counties and cities covering a third of the country’s soil reported their highest temperatures ever.

The mercury hit as high as 42 degrees Celsius in parts of Hebei Province, Shaanxi Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In Beijing, electricity consumption hit new highs, with air-conditioning eating up 52 percent of all usage.