Beijing Smog: A Fashionable Solution...

Supposedly the smog has gotten much better since the clean-up efforts that surrounded the Olympics.  But people who live here will still say that the smog is a serious concern. During humid times of year the fog can be of equal concern from a visual perspective, but at least the rains that follow help clear the air.

I tried to take the following pictures from approximately the same place, so as to illustrate the differences in air quality.  Here is a picture of a typical smoggy day:

Here is what it looks like on a rainy day (smog + fog):

And here is a picture of a rare, but beautiful clear day.  This is what they refer to as "Blue Sky" days in Beijing and you can measure the air quality by the number reported in a year.

If you are looking for an ironic and fashionable solution to the smog problem, from a personal approach at least, you can protect your lungs a bit with a cotton face-mask.  But rather than going around looking like a surgeon on lunch break, you can instead opt for a stylish cartoon face-mask, like this one I found at an "all panda" shop in one of the busy houtongs!:

Notice the little skully-carcinogen looking bad guys inside the panda?  He is saying "No,no!" and looks very perturbed.  Priceless.

In order to see what it looks like on, I have engaged this individual to model it for you.  For his sake I have protected his identity ;)

Welcome to Beijing...cough, cough! (Narrated by the voice of Kathleen Turner)

What is it like to wake up in Beijing? In a word: smoggy.  Look at that.  Doesn't it just make you want to give up, throw your hands in the air and chew down some filterless Pall Malls?

No that is not romantic fog rolling in from the mountains.  Its smog.  Apparently 16 out of 20 of the world's smoggiest cities are in China, Beijing being one of them. If you want to read the technical details, here is an informative link.  Supposedly it is getting better and the government is making efforts to improve it now.  But for the next ten days, this is the air I breathe.  Yum!  Cut me a slice of that fresh Beijing air!