Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, July 25 – It gets really hot and humid here in south China, and while we are blessed with air conditioning, (which we use every night and almost all day) many Chinese families with lower incomes must adjust to living in the heat. I think many also choose to not use AC. The people who don’t use AC use bamboo sleeping mats. They come in different sizes as well as chair cushions and small pillows. There are two types; One is a type of tile, which seems to be the coolest if you don’t mind the harder feel (Chinese beds are much harder to start with though!). The other is thin strips woven together, often in patterns. I can’t personally recommend them for sleeping but I’m tempted to try, I’m always “drawn” to them in the stores and they feel very cool to the touch. A Chinese friend said she prefers the tile type, that it is cooler than the other. You can also wipe them down with cold water before going to sleep. Photos show the different types of bed mats and pillows and a screen shot of the weather on my phone at 6:15 today; Actual temperature 91 degrees F, Real Feel of 104. A couple weeks ago, the real feel was up to 113 degrees. (The temperature is normally in Celsius here, but I keep my phone set to Fahrenheit!).