Sales of air-conditioners skyrocket as heat wave grips Northeast China

This year's unusual high temperature in northeastern China, which is usually dry and cool in summer, has led to a sharp rise in demand for air-conditioners and a shortage of installers, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Northeast China provinces - Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang - saw temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius this summer and experienced "sauna-like weather", a high-temperature and high-humidity weather commonly seen in southern China.

Due to such extreme weather, many families and companies rushed to buy air-conditioners. According to sales data from Gome, a home appliance giant, sales of air-conditioners in northeastern China recently rose 1,726 percent year-on-year, while sales in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, increased 3,545.4 percent year-on-year.

Since July 28, Gome has moved more than 200 air-conditioner installers from cities like Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Xi'an to Shenyang, Anshan, Panjin, Haicheng in northeastern China. The company said 300 more are on the way.

Suning, another home appliance giant, also shifted air-conditioner installers from Beijing, Tianjin, Ningbo, Xuzhou, Qingdao by air to help with the installation. The company provides room and board to installers and a car to each team to speed up installation.