Originally Posted by
phat-dave
as someone whom hasn't been to china before, are these masks a piss take?
the reason i ask is my fiance suffers from mild asthma and has previously had bronchitis - we recent visited Hanoi and she had breathing issues due to the smog. We're taking our first trip to beijing/shanghai/chengdu in May and I'm keen to get her something to assisting her breathing.
so i guess the question is... if we buy these, will we be cruising the streets looking like idiot tourists or does everyone have masks ?
Based on my casual observations, it seems that around 1 in 500 people wear masks on a regular basis. While that might sound like a low ratio, given the shear number of people in China, it's actually kind of normal.
In any event, I would advise your fiance to visit her doctor before your trip, and maybe request an inhaler. (Also, pick up a mask for especially bad days.)
When in May is your trip? I ask because early May can be horrible (April is the worst month for Beijing pollution IME), but the situation improves quickly.