PSA: Turn on the AC or you could die.
Written By: Due-East on August 1, 2007
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 All this electrical stuff shouldn’t get wet or be touched. |
| I don’t think I’ll ever understand why the Chinese in general seem to like to let the temperature in their homes change with the seasons rather than keeping it one comfortable temperature year round. When I visit Chinese friends, it seems like their houses are always freezing in the winter and a furnace in the summer. I’ve never asked them about this specifically, but I think it’s a combination of their being generally frugal (some would say cheap) people and their philosophy on what’s healthy. At any rate, if you’re hot natured, don’t visit Chinese people in the summer, even if they live in a place with central air conditioning. And if you’re cold natured, bring extra socks and jackets if you visit Chinese people in the winter. |
| All cultural issues and frugality aside, there are some times when you should just suck it up and turn on the air conditioner. Otherwise, you could end up dead. Shanghai is having record high temperatures this summer, and when it’s really hot, most Westerners will crank up the air conditioner. But not so the Chinese. One Shanghai student was sweating his rear off in his room because he’d apparently rather dehydrate or have a heat stroke than turn the AC on. It got hot enough that he was afraid his CPU would overheat and be damaged, so he opened the computer’s case to let it cool off. The article doesn’t say exactly what happened, but it seems he touched the inside of the computer and electrocuted himself. I’m sorry, but I gotta give western wisdom the win here. If your body is sweating in order to cool itself, and it’s within your power to help that process along, just do it. It won’t cost you that much, and it won’t kill you either. |
| Link to article |
