We’ve mentioned that the sky was clear and blue on our first day here. Our tour guides told us it was unusually clear. We have all heard about the terrible smog and pollution in Beijing, but we had no idea.
Yesterday was smoggy. Thick, yellowish smoke/fog filled the air. The sun was orange/brown. We’ve talked about it, trying to describe exactly what it’s like, and find it very difficult to put into words. Even the photos can’t capture the reality.
Yesterday was a yellow alert day. A red alert day kicks in at an air pollution index of 250. This morning the index was over 450. Apparently three weeks ago it hit 900 after a sandstorm.
The visibility was down to around 600 metres in the city this morning, making everything seem ghostly and eerie. Buildings were shadows in the yellow smog and cars disappeared in front of us.
This week the congress elected a new leader, and environment is very high on the party’s agenda. Everyday the newspapers write about what is being done to improve the environment. But what affects the Chinese affects us all, and we all need to make an effort to recycle and conserve.
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