Hongkongers slam weak air conditioning in malls and public transport amid heatwave

As Hong Kong faces its first Very Hot Weather Warning of the year, frustrated residents are taking to social media to complain that shopping malls and public transport systems across the city no longer provide enough air conditioning to escape the summer heat.

A local woman sparked widespread discussion online after venting her frustration in a social media post, saying malls, MTR stations and buses now feel “hotter than the streets” despite blasting air conditioning in the past.

“Back then, walking into a mall or the MTR felt refreshing,” she wrote. “Now it’s like: ‘Is the air conditioning even on?’”

She described crowded indoor spaces filled with sweating commuters and shoppers as “giant ovens,” adding that the unpleasant smell in packed areas had become unbearable.

The woman even used artificial intelligence to draft a complaint letter template encouraging others to send feedback to malls and transport operators. The sample letter criticized venues for turning indoor areas into “saunas” and warned that hot, enclosed environments could create hygiene and public health concerns.

Her comments quickly resonated with other netizens, many of whom shared their own experiences and named shopping malls and transport lines they believed were among the worst affected.

Some users complained that major malls in West Kowloon, Tsing Yi, Sha Tin, Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan had become uncomfortably warm during summer, with one netizen saying a flagship mall in Mong Kok was now “dark, stuffy and smelly.”

Others said MTR platforms and train carriages — particularly on the Tuen Ma Line, East Rail Line and Kwun Tong Line — often felt overcrowded and poorly ventilated during peak hours.

Some netizens speculated that businesses were reducing air conditioning to cut costs and comply with environmental policies encouraging indoor temperatures to remain above 25 degrees Celsius.

Amid the criticism, one shopping mall emerged as an unlikely fan favorite. Several users praised The ONE in Tsim Sha Tsui for maintaining strong air conditioning, with one commenter joking that visitors could “feel the cold air right at the entrance.”

Some users also linked the issue to declining consumer spending, arguing that people were increasingly choosing to stay home in air-conditioned comfort rather than spending time in overheated malls.

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