When heatwaves hit, one community in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province turned its rooftops into cooling heroes – and the world took notice.
The spray system releases a fine mist that lowers air temperatures by 8 degrees Celsius and ground temperatures by 12 degrees Celsius in just 10 minutes.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-07-18/Smart-cooling-Chinese-style-Shanxi-s-rooftop-rain-wows-the-world-1OSxnGfyaWI/img/086192a216b44a3db218750ca0cb9f1e/086192a216b44a3db218750ca0cb9f1e.jpeg' alt='A screenshot of China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning's X post on July 1, 2026, about Shanxi's "rooftop rain" /@SpoxCHN_MaoNing'
The dazzling “rooftop rain” first went viral across China and then caught global attention – including a nod from China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on X earlier this month.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-07-18/Smart-cooling-Chinese-style-Shanxi-s-rooftop-rain-wows-the-world-1OSxnGfyaWI/img/591f575103f1475d8e0fa2adc6257004/591f575103f1475d8e0fa2adc6257004.jpeg'International media and social media users pick up the “rooftop rain” story, calling it an “outdoor air conditioner.” /Screenshots taken by CGTN
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-07-18/Smart-cooling-Chinese-style-Shanxi-s-rooftop-rain-wows-the-world-1OSxnGfyaWI/img/591f575103f1475d8e0fa2adc6257004/591f575103f1475d8e0fa2adc6257004.jpeg'International media and social media users pick up the “rooftop rain” story, calling it an “outdoor air conditioner.” /Screenshots taken by CGTN
Soon, media in the US, France, and parts of South Asia picked up the story, calling it an “outdoor air conditioner.” Using nothing more than water evaporation, the system delivers effective cooling without heavy energy consumption.
Muhammad Arif is a journalist repoting on Asian Affairs, with focus on connectivity in Eurasia. He holds Ph.D degree on Global Journalism from HBU, China, he teaches journalism at a university in Islamabad. He has language skills Chinese, Persian, Russian.
