Heating, between too hot and too cold

Heading into my first winter in Beijing, I have been preparing, both state of mind and my closet, for the freezing months ahead. A hefty coat was top of my shopping list when I arrived, I stocked up on cold and flu tablets and various iterations of "places to go in Beijing winter" ranked among my top internet searches.

I'm not entirely a newcomer to cold weather. I've just survived my sixth winter in the southernmost state of Australia, where winds feel like they are direct from Antarctica and puffer jackets are just as common as they are on Beijing streets. While the temperatures there don't plunge as deep into negative territory as here in Beijing, those years have developed some strong cold-fighting skills.

But one thing I wasn't ready for was to feel too hot.