Published: 14:09, July 21, 2026
Fuzhou residents beat the heat in wartime air-raid tunnel
By Hu Meidong and Zhang Yi in Fuzhou
In this undated photo, visitors rest inside the Wushan Mountain air defense tunnel in Fuzhou, Fujian province, to escape the summer heatwave. (PHOTO / CHI YUAN FOR CHINADAILY)

Residents in Fuzhou, Fujian province, are using a former wartime air-raid shelter to escape summer temperatures that regularly exceed 37 C.

The 570-meter-long civil air defense tunnel in Wushan Mountain, constructed in the 1970s, maintains a constant temperature of 18 C to 20 C due to its deep rock insulation.

Visitors rest inside the Wushan Mountain air defense tunnel in Fuzhou, Fujian province, to escape the summer heatwave. (PHOTO / CHI YUAN FOR CHINADAILY)

The facility was renovated and converted into Fujian's first public cooling shelter in 2013. It links Fuzhou's historic Sanfang Qixiang scenic spot with Liming Lake Park and serves as a free pedestrian passage and community space.

Inside the tunnel, people gather at low-cost stalls to brew jasmine tea, play games, and rest, filling the underground space with a leisure atmosphere.