According to the Central Meteorological Station, similar hot weather usually occurs only in late May, and the former record high for March was 26.4 degrees Celsius, in 1989.

Skirts, short-sleeved shirts, sunglasses and topees appeared indowntown Beijing, and sales of ice cream and cold drinks soared with the temperature.

Most regions in China, especially north China cities such as Beijing, Tianjin and Shenyang, have experienced unusually hot weather recently.

Experts say that the hot weather is caused by a warm air mass and ample sunshine. The temperature in Beijing and other Chinese cities will remain above 20 degrees Celsius for the next three days, and decrease gradually after a cold air mass arrives around April 5.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2002)