As he wiped sweat from his brow on a crowded bus, Wang Jun growled: 'It is simply too hot today. They say that it is 35 degrees, but who believes them?'
Mr Wang, a retired civil servant, was echoing the sentiments of thousands of Beijing people as summer entered its hottest phase.
Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far, with the temperature officially reported as 36 degrees Celsius.
But many people believe the government understates the real figure because regulations passed in the early years of communist rule allow workers to stay at home for all or half of the day if the temperature exceeds 38 degrees.
'It was at least 40 degrees on Thursday,' said Liang Guojun, a secondary school teacher.
'It was unbearable. But the newspapers said only 36 and forecast rain, of which there was none.'
In Beijing, visitors to Daguanyuan park in the southwest of the city said the ground temperature reached 55 degrees on Thursday.