Preparing for winter
As the temperature continues to drop in Nanchang, my friends in Canada continually remind me that, while it’s much colder in Canada, they wouldn’t want to live with the cold of Nanchang.
My friend in Dawson Creek, BC recently told me about temperatures of -37°C (with windchill) and a good 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow. Even the mild rainy city of Vancouver dropped to 20-below for about a week as the city experienced some extreme weather. So it seems funny that Nanchang weather feels so cold to me now as the current temperature reaches lows of 5°C, and highs of 15°C. Five-degrees may not be cold to a Vancouverite, but context is important.
Nanchang buildings have no heating. None. Buildings don’t even have rudimentary insulation. Every inch of every building here is made from all-concrete construction. Windows and doors aren’t sealed in any building I’ve seen in Nanchang. Every place—from classrooms to restaurants—is freezing just as much as if you were outside sitting under the shade of a tall oak tree. Today’s high-temperature of 9°C would be fine to wear a t-shirt inside a Vancouver classroom, but you would never wear just a t-shirt in Nanchang; instead, I’ve been protecting my torso with the following:
- t-shirt
- long-underwear shirt
- sweater
- fleece jacket
- windbreaker
I could have never imagined wearing 5-layers of clothing to class under such conditions, but everyone in my class, including the teachers, are wearing several layers of clothes and still complaining.
My house is about the same. The bathroom and kitchen have unsealed vents that lead directly outside. If I close all the doors and stand in the living room, I still feel a slight draft of cold air on my face. My hands get numb studying in my house and my feet are still cold despite wearing 2-pairs of thick socks. I tried to resist, but I finally bought a heater.
My only source of heat in the city of Nanchang
Finally I could sleep easy. The radiator cost me RMB$330 which is 3-times more expensive than other heaters. Cheap heaters have a reputation for making fires, so I chose the more expensive model for safety reasons. With a blanket stuffed into the crack under the door, I keep myself barricaded in the bedroom to eat, study, read, and sleep. The cold was far from eliminated, but at least it was tolerable. Victory was mine! …or so I thought.
After discovering the giant burn mark under the heater, I pushed the damn machine out of my sight and acknowledged that I could die of fire a lot easier than frostbite. The next few days I slept with my sweater and a toque under 2 blankets and considered wearing gloves too. I knew I needed something for warmth or I wouldn’t be able to study, but I couldn’t use the radiator… or could I? I finally remembered I could set the heater on ‘medium’. Now it doesn’t provide much heat, but it’s better than nothing and I can study. The last time I did my laundry I set the radiator on the tile floor of my living room and let it dry 2 pairs of underwear at a time while I bundled myself in blankets, drank something hot, and watched a movie.
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m thankful for everything I have. I’m just surprised by the reality. Before coming to Nanchang I had heard the average low temperature for winter was 0°C. Compared to Vancouver or Tianjin, Nanchang sounds hot, but the reality is so different when you put it in context.
December 13th, 2006 at 7:45 pm
U JUST STAY IN THE CLASS AND YOUR APARTMENT WHICH DON’T HAVE HEATING. U DON’T KNOW MOST OF NANCHANG BUILDINGS HAVE HEATINGS, JUST BECAUCE YOU HAVEN’T BEEN THERE. IF YOU CAN PAY 1000RMB PER MONTH FOR RENTING AN APARTMENG IN CITY CENTRE, THINGS ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. U MADE SOME JUDGEMENT JUST BECAUSE U R SHORT-SIGHTED
December 14th, 2006 at 2:49 am
Having suffered more than my fair share of Nanchang winters I can completely sympathise. I have a radiator (similar to yours) and I’ve used it for years without a problem so i think you were just unlucky there. Adele makes some valid points (though her tone could be a bit less aggressive!) but as you’re a foreign student I doubt you have 1000RMB to rent an apartment in the city centre, and the price she quotes is way off, for an apartment with central heating you’d need to pay much much more - 1000 yuan would certainly get you a place with air-con but you’d have to pay the electricity bill!
The general rule is anywhere south of the Yangtze is warm so doesn’t need central heating! Ridiculous!
December 14th, 2006 at 9:30 am
Hey Bud totally agree with you Its damned cold in the south with out heating there and I have been to Southern parts in the winter My good advise as usual:-)
1) Find some ceramic tiles or blocks to put under the heater to move away from the floor.
2) Try to seal the windows with something .
Don’t pay attention to some of the patriotic advices they are good when you are worm.
December 21st, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Hey man, go to the 旧货市场 its just near the turning circle of Jiangxi Normal Uni, just grab a cab and tell the driver the name. You should be able to pick up many types of heaters, many are second hand and have been fixed up - i never had safety issues with things i bought there (including an airconditioner 300yuan, heater like yours 100yuan (not 330!! dems department store prices!) fans etc) when you’re haggling (keyword!) make sure you get them to give you a warrenty of sorts (usually if theres a problem in two weeks you can take it back and swap it over). Good luck, i lived in nanchang in 98, 2001 and 2003-04 and its trying at times but one of the funkier cities in China, you’re in the right place.
warwick
December 21st, 2006 at 9:31 pm
Thanks Warwick. And thanks everyone for posting. I suppose I should say that the apartment is much better now. The weather has become a bit warmer (making a huge difference) and I’ve also adjusted. Compared to my memories of Canada, it feels like the temperature changes more rapidly in both Tianjin and China—particularly when the seasons change. One minute you’re dying from heat, and then you’re colder than you ever expected. This change in temperature gives a person the feeling it is much colder than it is. These days I think I tend to wear more clothes than a lot of Chinese people.
Actually, I don’t think Nanchang is a bad city. I think it’s an interesting city that doesn’t get enough credit. The growth here is phenomenal and it’s effects are more visible to me than when I was in Tianjin. The worst comments I’ve heard about Nanchang come from a few Chinese who are not local people.
Yes, I picked a plain apartment near my school, but that was also my choice. By putting the heater at 1/2 power, I can dry my clothes and keep my room a bit warmer. It also saves me from paying a higher rent at one of the much nicer apartments, which are usually too far from the school to be convenient. There’s a very big (and rising) middle class here and there are always new companies opening to service them. Farmers, of course, have no need for gym memberships, but there are plenty of gyms around—more than I remember in Tianjn. As I continue to learn Mandarin, I can also dispel some of the stereotypes that plague most of us foreigners.
And if anything is for certain, Nanchang will change in the next year. And the year after that. Since 2004 I’ve heard that Nanchang has changed dramatically. From ‘wooden shacks’ along Shanghai Road (next to NanDa), to a modern university shopping district. That may have been before I arrived here, but I’ve seen the changes underway at the train station. That station is going to change the first impressions of a lot of people who come to Nanchang—both foreign and Chinese.
Although it seems to surprise some people, I really do like Nanchang city.
December 23rd, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Hi, Justin. This is Sylvia from TUT. I know most of citied in the south of China don’t own heating, you must have faced a lot of difficulties in Nanchang. I suggest you sell this heater, and buy a larger one.
Merry Christmas!! Good luck!!
January 1st, 2007 at 5:37 am
hello~Justin
You live in my city and study in my Colleage
You said you picked a plain apartment near the school, which school are you learning in, the North one in downtown or the one in Qianhu?
It will be rainy and much colder in the coming days.
Happy new year and take care
My msn: [removed for privacy]
January 1st, 2007 at 5:47 am
BTW, I don’t know how much your payment is for the apartment, but you’d better find a better one,because the floor in the pic is too bad. and you can rent another one with aircondition.
good luck~
January 4th, 2007 at 2:59 am
OMG, take good care, man.
miss ya~
happy new year and hope u all fine!