Image copyright Empics

Mahjong lovers in China have found a unique way to deal with a merciless heat wave descending on their city.

What do you do if it's way too hot but you just can't stay away from your favourite boardgame?

Well, kick your shoes and socks off, grab a chair and umbrella and head down to the river.

That's what people in the town of Dujiangyan are doing and regardless of who wins at mahjong - they certainly all beat the heat!

Image copyright AFP

And hot it is - media reports say that over the past days, the thermometer in the town in Sichuan province climbed to just under 40C.

Mahjong is an ancient Chinese board game and is often played by elderly people in public parks. But current temperatures are nothing to mess with.

Image copyright Huang Shigui

The advice by Britain's National Health Service on how to tackle a heat wave is to "have cool baths or showers, and splash yourself with cool water".

Local media reports cite players joking that the only hazard they still have to tackle is the occasional shoe floating away downstream.

Image copyright Huang Shigui

But overall "it's awesome. I can enjoy mahjong while feeling cool and refreshing," one player says in a video uploaded by a regional paper.

It's not the first time the region has seen such heat in the summer and river mahjong has been popular in the small town for a few years now.