Chongqing - As the summer heat baked Chongqing above ground, dozens of residents headed underground, gathering in a former air-raid shelter to watch a World Cup match on a giant screen in the naturally cool space.
The screening took place at a community civil defense cooling center in Wulidian Subdistrict, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area. Staff arrived before 8:30 a.m. to set up a high-definition television, tables and chairs, while also providing free drinking water for residents.
Residents watch a live broadcast of the World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and Switzerland at a civil defense cooling center in Gongxiao Community, Wulidian Subdistrict, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, on July 12, 2026. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)
As the match began, retirees, parents with children, and football fans returning from morning exercise filled the shelter. Organizers added seats several times as the audience grew. Some longtime supporters explained the match to people sitting nearby, while parents introduced their children to the rules of football.
The shelter also functions as an educational space. Its walls display information about civil defense and the history of air-raid shelter construction during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
"Watching at home means paying for air conditioning, and there is no atmosphere when you are alone," said 78-year-old Jin Chaobi. "When I heard the shelter would broadcast the World Cup and everyone could watch together, I came early."
Jin said she regularly visits the cooling center during summer, usually from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., using the space to avoid the heat and socialize. She said the sports broadcasts also helped her learn more about football and other cultural activities.
Bai Zhihua, a retired Changan Automobile employee, said he was familiar with the shelters. "They have now been renovated into places where residents can cool down and learn about history," Bai said. "The football broadcast gives people another activity and brings new use to these old shelters."
Residents gather inside a civil defense cooling center to watch the World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and Switzerland in Gongxiao Community, Wulidian Subdistrict, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, on July 12, 2026. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)
The event forms part of a broader expansion of public cooling facilities across Chongqing as temperatures are expected to remain above normal.
According to the Chongqing Meteorological Bureau, the city is expected to experience a period of mostly sunny, hot and relatively dry weather from July 7 through August 31. The average temperature is forecast at 28.8 degrees Celsius, about 1 degree above the long-term average.
Most parts of the municipality are expected to record between 12 and 46 days above 35 degrees Celsius, compared with the usual range of eight to 34 days. In central urban areas, temperatures are forecast to exceed 37 degrees on about 25 days and 40 degrees on around six days, both above historical averages.
Since July 5, Chongqing has opened 44 civil defense cooling centers in 11 districts free of charge. Together they provide about 11,000 square meters of space and operate daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The facilities are equipped with drinking water, tables, chairs, heatstroke medicine and public information materials. Staff are responsible for safety and cleaning, while some locations also offer health consultations, anti-fraud campaigns, civil defense education, handicraft activities and film screenings.
A resident gets drinking water at a civil defense cooling center in Gongxiao Community, Wulidian Subdistrict, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, on July 12, 2026. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)
At a shelter in Shijingpo, Shapingba District, 77-year-old Yang Guoshu said the underground center offered more than lower temperatures.
"It is more comfortable than staying in an air-conditioned room," Yang said. "It also gives people in the community a place to communicate and strengthen their relationships."