The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has introduced a warm station project nationwide to help protect workers in extreme weather.

To date, more than 20 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an have set up stations that offer free services to outdoor workers, according to Su Bin, head of rights protection for the federation.

In Beijing, "warm corners" have helped to make the winter weather easier to bear for outdoor workers, such as street cleaners, taxi drivers, couriers and traffic police.

The capital's Xicheng district has 20 warm stations, providing free hot water, temporary shelter and toilets.

The Desheng Jiedao Labor Union service station, to the north of the Second Ring Road, was the first in the district. It has a sofa, thermos flasks, dozens of disposable cups, a microwave, boxes of hand warmers and a first-aid kit.

Liu Mingguang, 50, has been a sanitation worker for 20 years, starting work at 3:30 am every day. "I come here (to the station) to fill my bottle with hot water and take a short break between 9:30 am and 10 am," he said. "I used to go to a toilet in a nearby restaurant, but it's more convenient here."

With assistance from neighborhood committees and local enterprises, Xicheng plans to increased the number of warm stations to 200 this year, according to Chen.

Zhao Yimeng contributed to the story.