While many Chinese cities are being tormented by heat waves, those with milder temperatures are seeing increased visitors to their summer resorts.
High temperatures continued to linger over much of central and southern China on Sunday. Some areas may see temperatures surpass 40 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) warned.
For Guizhou, a province in southwest China with an average summer temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, the stifling heat means more tourists.
"When others are tormented by scorching heat, Guizhou residents don't need to turn on air conditioning or electric fans. Sometimes, they even use a quilt at night. I really envy them," Wang Yan, a tourist from Guangdong Province, commented after a trip to Guizhou.
On July 15, a group consisting of more than 2,000 tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, as well as Guangdong and Hunan provinces, arrived in the provincial capital Guiyang by high-speed train.
The group's destination was Liupanshui, known as China's "cool city", where they will participate in the Torch Festival of the Yi ethnic group.
High temperatures has also increased business at more than 1,400 rural homestays and hotels in Tongzi County.
The county boasts 30 scenic areas including mountains, forests, lakes and canyons, attracting around 100,000 tourists from nearby Chongqing Municipality each year. Chongqing is known as one of China's "four ovens" due to its hot and humid weather in summer.
Liang Chaojun lives in a village in Jiuba Township, Tongzi, more than 1,200 meters above sea level. With an average annual temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, Jiuba attracts many urban dwellers, which has increased incomes for local farmers.
Some 313 of the 875 households in Liang's village have put down their farm tools and opened rural homestays providing local food and accommodation for tourists who want to temporarily escape the summer heat and fast-paced urban life.
"I won't have to be a migrant worker anymore. I can make money in my village," said Liang, a 53-year-old farmer.
An industry report showed that each year, more than 300 million Chinese tourists visit resorts to avoid the summer heat, creating a big summer tourism market.
Guizhou, with its diverse ethnic cultures and beautiful natural scenery, does not want to miss the opportunity to boost its tourism industry.
The province provides preferential policies for tourists from ten provinces and cities that are usually hit by heat waves, such as Chongqing, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Hubei.
By showing their ID cards, tourists from these areas receive a 50 percent discount on scenic area tickets, and vehicles with seven or less seats are charged half price for highway tolls in Guizhou between July 18 and September 15.
Other measures to attract tourists include tourism promotion activities in cities across China and diversifying its entertainment facilities.
"With a string of activities including river boats, village tours, camping, and hot springs, combined with cooler weather and beautiful landscapes, Guizhou will further boost its summer tourism industry," said Wang Wenxue, deputy director of Guizhou Tourism Development Committee.
With a total investment of 81.6 billion yuan (around 12.1 billion U.S. dollars) into tourism-related projects in 2017, the province expects to see further growth in number of tourists longing for milder temperatures and fresh mountain air.
