The quality of air in China has become a hot topic in recent years.
It has been bad for some time – I remember being appalled when I first moved to Guangdong in 2002. It seemed that the whole of Guangdong was covered in a blanket of smog that lifted only once a week or so. Continue reading
Just to offset my last post about smog In southern China, here are some photos by Mario Carvajal of Tiananmen and the Forbidden City in Beijing under clear, blue skies.
I’ve told this to people again and again: In Beijing, the pollution can be horrible (though not as bad as Guangzhou), but you’ll also get some lovely days of perfect wheather as well. These photos prove it!
It may only be about one day per week, but it does happen!
Edit 4 July 2012: Unfortunately, it seems that the pollution and air quality in Beijing has gotten steadily worse and is at a new low point. There are still a few blus sky days, but not as many as there once were. Here’s to hoping that some of the measures the Chinese government is taking actually helps them.
unfoldedorigami posted a couple of photos of the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium:
There’s a lot of pollution evident in these photos of Beijing, and the photos further down, which is a real concern only two days before the 2008 Olympic Games start.
I won’t be surprised if it rains before the games, which would really clear the pollution up. The Chinese are masters of cloud seeding, so don’t be surprised if it happens.
Leaving pollution aside, I think these two photos work really well together, especially the angle of the gutter. I also like the guy on the bicycle in the front left of the first photo. He really adds some action to the photo.
Here a couple more photos showing the pollution in Beijing, this time by madiko83:
Here the pollution looks even worse. The story is all over the Western news and in the press, which is a real shame for the Games.
Having lived just outside of Beijing, I can tell you that some days the pollution is terrible, but the next day you can get blue skies.
The pollution is much worse in the south (ie Guangzhou), and I’m hoping that they’ll get clear skies for the majority of the Olympics.