Air Pollution in China

There is a big problem in China--air pollution.


In fact, when there was talk for us to move to China, the big concern for us was the air pollution.

We can be careful of what we eat, where we go, as food regulation is still not so strict in China, and using an illegal amounts of chemicals is still not rare, and small local restaurants don't keep clean enough. But you can't choose what kind of air you breathe. You might read an article about Beijing’s air pollution in recent days. It recorded the air pollutant index off the chart (much higher than the limit on the original chart which was made to measure the air pollution).


The city where we live, Chengdu, is not much better than Beijing for air standards. Taking into consideration its location, inland and surrounded by mountains, the air doesn't clear up so fast. Chengdu is a booming city, where new buildings, highways, and subways are building all over the city. (4 subway lines are being built simultaneously right now, and the 2nd  line has just opened).  The cars are overflowing and this construction causes even more traffic jams. Also, people still use coal to get heat in winter.


The U.S.Consulate gives a number to the density of pollutant particles in the air, hourly.  I have been watching this number very carefully. Over the past few weeks the number has been "hazardous" which is the level of, "Everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors; people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low".  Actually the school didn't allow kids to play outside last week because it's too polluted to play outside.


In fact, we can tell how polluted the air is. It's grey/brown, and smells different.  You can hardly see clouds in the sky and even the sun and moon are vague. Certainly I can tell this air is not good for us.  To give an example, I start to have a headache when the air is not good. Fortunately my kids haven't developed any symptoms but kids that I know have started to have problems with the air here.


The Chinese government tries to reduce the number of cars on the road. For example, every car has one day that it can't be driven in the main part of the city.  The day is decided by the last number on each license plate. All the motorcycles are now electric. But this hasn't eased the air pollution.


This was taken in Chengdu city.

The roads in Chengdu are always under construction. 

This was taken in Beijing, Tienanmen square in December.