It’s our #AtoZChallenge again! Today, we talk about the top thing that many foreigners hate in living in China — inhaling bad air.
Just a week before I left for China (in December 2015), news of bad air — and it’s not merely bad but one of the worst air days in recent times — circulated the net. That time I had been monitoring news reports about the air quality in Beijing, which prompted my mom to give me a worn-out but unused face mask.
Fast forward to my arrival when I was so excited to land in Beijing. Hundreds of feet above the ground, Beijing looked so mighty yet pale…
What I saw I thought were just normal winter hues. But no, the city had just been shrouded in a thick and choking smog.
I is for Inhaling Bad Air
Try searching “pollution in Beijing” on Google and a wealth of news stories about how bad air in the Chinese capital will surface. Okay, everybody outside China knows it, but inside people, many locals, seem not to care about it. Some Chinese friends told me that before the 2008 Summer Olympics, there wasn’t that much awareness of how dangerous smog was. In fact, according to my friends, some old people in other parts of China believe that gray air is fog!
Winter is notoriously a smog season (well not only in China but also to other countries using coal for heating) and it is always the period between December and February when pollution in China skyrocket to dizzying levels. I’ve written some articles about pollution, and just thinking back my experiences smelling the smog makes me somehow feel depressed. One good thing (well it’s still not good anyway) is that smog gives stunning sunset skies akin to science fiction flicks set in Mars. Or probably they’re a view of dystopia just like Blade Runner 2049?
C’mon, let’s be optimistic here. China has begun a monumental task of cleaning its air, and authorities in the capital have said USD 2.6 billion will be spent to tackle pollution this year. Well, that’s a must if Beijing wants to clean its smoggy international image and attract and retain foreign talents.
Thanks for reading! In tomorrow’s #AtoZChallenge, we’ll indulge in a yummy and popular street food in Beijing.
Featured photo shows CCTV Building almost covered in gray air.
See more of my #AtoZChallenge: Chinese Adventure
I do hope they can do something about that. I had a teacher once who said that if you want to be healthy, you can decide what food you eat, or how much exercise you get, or what other substances you put in your system, but you can’t decide what air to breathe. If your community’s air is polluted, you’re kind of stuck with it.
I guess with China growing as much as it has been, some of this is just growing pains. But still… people need clean air to breathe.
This is also what a Scottish couple told me when they compared how dirty Beijing’s air was to London’s. They said the Chinese government can change that within a few years.
Some American cities have managed to reduce air pollution, though there’s still a lot more they could do to reduce it more. It’s not easy, but it definitely can be done.
The air problem is unfortunate. I have allergies to air pollution in far cleaner places. I hope our planet can get these pollution problems under control.
I really enjoyed the post.
Thanks for reading! I guess it’s in the mountains that we can get far cleaner air. I had the chance to talk with a Chinese ecologist; he mentioned that awareness of the problem is one thing; what matters is what we do to alleviate the problem.
Nice article Andy. Yes, the air pollution is one of my main complaint here. Never imagined myself with the mask before. I am told it is getting better compared to earlier years. Hope it improves.
Thanks Balu! Well it’s one of the birth pains of China … it will get better, I believe. But when? Hmm shall we expect they’ll get it done before the next Winter Olympics?
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