Shanghai dryer sales boom as rain starts laundry crisis

The unusually wet winter in Shanghai and other cities in the Yangtze River Delta region has created a seldom seen wardrobe crisis for local residents.

As the dreary days have dragged on, local residents have been making references to the "wandering" sun - an allusion to China's recent homemade sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth. They also have come up with a saying mimicking a popular line in the movie: "There used to be thousands of underwear, but now only one is left."

Sales of dryers have skyrocketed, according to China's major home appliance retailers, rescuing millions who have no other way to keep their laundry from being soaked in the stubborn soggy weather that has persisted for more than two months.