We only had a week in Beijing but due to it’s extreme smog, 3 of the 7 days we had to cancel whatever we were doing. We learned that the air quality is rated everyday by both the Chinese government and the US Embassy, so my mom downloaded an app showing the air quality (called AQI) every day. We learned that if the AQI was under 100 it is good, between 100- 200 is getting bad, 300 is very unhealthy, 400 is extremely dangerous, and 500 could be deadly. The air quality was about 50 and 75 on the first two days which was amazing but, on day 3 we were supposed to go to Tiananmen Square but due to the smog level that reached as high as 400 we stayed in our neighborhood the whole day. On our fourth day we decided that if the air was over 300 we wouldn't do something that day. Luckily for us it was under 200 so we visited Tiaananmen Square and the Forbidden City. You can see the smog right now in China by clicking here.
The Chinese can’t predict their smog like their weather so they don’t know the day before if the air quality will be 50 the next day or 400. We had two good days and another bad day which went up to 300. The next day was 350 and we were supposed to go to the Great Wall with the Taylors, but since the air was awful we had lunch with them, went to Yashow; a huge shopping place that has tons of different types of clothing that you bargain for, and the 798 art district where we saw a ton of sculptures that all 4 of us (Jacob, Maggie, Ella, and I) posed with. By the end of the day we were all coughing, though I was still glad that we got to go to spend time with the Taylors.
I really was frustrated how we were only in Beijing for just over a week and 3 of the 8 days we were there it was hazardous to our health to go outside because I really liked Beijing. I really think that China has to stop it’s pollution before the smog starts reaching the high 400’s on a daily basis and its citizens will not go outside because it is too unhealthy.
Hi Luke, I was just listening to a radio program here that was talking about the Beijing air. They were interviewing Beijing residents who wear the kind of masks/filters that painters use (more serious than just the little surgical masks). I can't imagine living somewhere with pollution that bad. Hopefully China can start doing a better job of getting factories to cut down on toxic emissions.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City really nice? I went there the last time I went to China. I must've been really unhealthy in China because we went out every day for a month both times I went. hope you guys are having lots of fun!
ReplyDelete