Heat wave? What heat wave? Heilongjiang residents shiver

While people have sweltered in eastern China over the past two weeks, inhabitants of northeastern areas were putting on thicker clothes this week.

Since Monday, cool air has covered most of Heilongjiang province. In the border city of Heihe, the temperature dropped to 12 C early on Monday. In the outdoor markets, peddlers appeared in cotton-padded clothes to guard against the cold.

"This morning, when I came out to buy food for my family, I wondered whether winter had come early, and I hurried home to get a thick sweater," said Yang Wenbo, 35. "In the market, I found lots of tourists, including several Russians, lining up to buy long-sleeved T-shirts or jackets."