BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- In sweltering heat Wednesday, Chen Cheng, a maintenance employee with China's bike-sharing operator Mobike, had lifted more than 50 bikes onto a van by noon, the sweat stains obvious on his black uniform.
His job in the southern city of Guangzhou was to help transfer haphazardly placed bikes from outside a luxury shopping mall to somewhere more practical. He did not stop working despite a heat wave warning issued by the local observatory.
The National Meteorological Center forecast Thursday that heat would continue to grip parts of northern, eastern and southern China in the following 10 days.
Chen had to take dry clothes and a towel to his workplace. However, he did not see sweating under the scorching sun as much of a toil.
"Many young people love exercise. Well, my job saves me money for that," Chen joked.
A few people even mistook him of a bike thief.
"They shouted at me or took pictures when I carried the bikes. Still, it is good to know that people care about the bikes," he said.
Like Chen, more than 1,000 maintenance employees are working to ensure efficient use and orderly parking of shared bikes in Guangzhou, which has more than 700,000 such bikes.
While the sweltering weather has intimidated shared bike users, it has spurred online catering business and placed a heavy burden on delivery workers.
Li Li, a delivery worker in Fuzhou city, capital of Fujian Province, said his 40-strong team daily handled nearly 1,000 orders in recent days, compared with 600 to 700 orders on ordinary days.
"I drank at least four bottles of water from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the peak period of delivery," Li said. "The hardest time is waiting for clients under the sun, or climbing stairs."
"The hottest days are our busiest days," said Wang Bailing, a delivery worker in Kaifeng city, Henan Province, who delivered more than 20 orders from morning to noon Tuesday.
Wearing a T-shirt, a sun-proof coat and a helmet, Wang's clothes were wet all day long, but he was required to dress neatly to show respect for clients.
"It is really hot and we are busy ... I am expecting more understanding from clients if we can not make it on time," he said.
While Wang and Li can enjoy a breath of air while zooming along streets on their motorbikes, sanitation worker Luo Xin'ai has her own way to get relief from the oppressive heat.
During her work, Luo puts three bottles of frozen water, wrapped in towels, between her clothes and skin.
"The ice cools down my body. After it melts, I drink the water," she said. "I do the job because I don't want to be idle. I won't be sluggish no matter how hot the weather is."
Despite the heat, construction worker Ran Zhongku in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, has to wear gloves when touching steel bars.
"They are still very hot," said the 45-year-old man.
The temperature at the unfinished tunnel, which Ran is working on, exceeded 40 degrees Celsius Thursday noon, since steel bars absorb and give off heat.
Shaanxi has seen record-breaking temperatures in the past days and the extreme heat will persist in the following days, according to the local observatory.
However, in order to meet the deadline in November, construction of the tunnel cannot halt, according to a project manager. He said workers had access to drugs that prevent and treat sunstroke, and they are allowed to rest when they feel uncomfortable.
At a railway station in Shanghai, which saw high temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, one of the toughest jobs is to add water for carriages.
The job requires workers to walk between the rail tracks, dragging heavy rubber pipes. Each of the 27-member team travel at least 12 kilometers to do their work.
"Even if passengers can not see us, we make an effort to ensure their safe, smooth journeys," said worker Wang Jianmin.
The central government ensures the rights of workers in the heat. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has issued a directive prompting employers to reduce work time and workload during times of high temperatures.
