517 in Shanghai now: http://aqicn.org/city/shanghai/luwanshizhuanfuxiao/

Is pollution in shanghai getting worse?
Went there often but stopped going since last year n i dont recall shanghai having bad air pollution.

I wouldn't jump to this conclusion. Nearly all midsize+ cities in China are subject to hideous pollution whenever stagnant air weather patterns are present.

BJ pollution
 

was told by a reliable person about the BJ pollution sources; 1/3 from vehicles, 1/3 from construction, & 1/3 from coal. Now this is an average & BJ has 5 million vehicles, the construction in BJ is about the same as all of Euorpe, and coal is needed to produce heat & power for the city of 23 million people.

Thus, wind is needed to move the pollution out.

It appears that it isn't just Beijing now. Friends in Ningbo, Nanjing and Shanghai have all wechatted photos from this week that show a heavy fog like they were in SF.

Read about the pollution in the news.. Am going to be flying in tomorrow and departing the day after.

Hope this doesn't affect my travel plans. Any thing that I should be mindful of?

Yeah, this sounds bad. Hope it clears up and doesn't cause PVG to backlog.

Does this mean we should be avoiding sightseeing outside?

The underlying causes honestly haven't changed much (for better or for worse) during recent years. It's all about the weather.

Just be on the lookout for these: http://i.imgur.com/mKnI5tn.jpg :)

If u plan on sightseeing, bring along some n95 type face masks from home. They are light and easily carried.
Otherwise, it would be like breathing in smoke all day.
:(

The top line reading is back down to 179, which is nothing to be alarmed at in China (and, much less than the other usual suspect cities).

Shanghai to Beijing
 

Beijing now is hitting 411 :mad:

It really stinks outside, checked the PEK airport site and seems not many delays for international departures.

What's the smell anyway? Coal? Automobile exhaust?

It smells like (that is what I think at least) - sulfar/coal ....just like during New Year after all the fireworks. In Ulaanbatar Mongolia I smell the same during the winter but then magnified by 100%.

Very bold of you to go to ULN in the winter. The cold is excruciating.

OCT 1-7 National Holiday Week
 

Not a good week to visit China! :td:
Everyone that works takes their annual vacation at the same time with their families, and the Roads are bumper to bumper traffic!
And so is the SMOG!
It is still warm to hot & humid until after Oct 10 or so.

The tourist sites are just as crowded with families & their small children.
Long waiting lines.
Hotels are crowded and Breakfast dining rooms are full.
Flights will be full, as well.

Oct 8 was the only day the clear BLUE sky was visible after most vacationers have gotten home from their travels.
If I were to go back again, I would plan on arriving about Oct 10! :)

While I also dislike National Day, if you were to visit China during a week when the factories are running, you'd likely conclude that the air pollution you experienced during the holiday was relatively tame.

The SMOG(smoke & fog) or SMAZ(smoke & haze) are far more irritating, burning of eyes and respiratory system in HOT and humid weather!
It was much more tolerable before the smog levels went up with more coal burning and higher road traffic, or high temperatures and low humidity.:(

Having lived near central Los Angeles in the bad air days of the 1960-1980's before improvements in gasoline chemistry for smog control, it is easy to see Beijing is much WORSE on a daily basis. :td:
Not sure a face mask will prevent damage to the lung tissue and the Immune System.
Note there are many current reports of the rise of cancer worldwide.
I hear of many reports of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, as well.
So I would avoid visiting Beijing again until after the National Holidays, Oct 1-7. And all the tourist sites will have shorter lines with less people! :D

That is based on my experience of a recent trip, Oct 3-15. :td:

Living near the Ocean with on shore fresh air winds help prevent bad health.
Remember when Drs recommended vacations near the salty oceans!

hi guys, first time traveler to Beijing for 1 full day 1/2/2014. would you advise or purchasing a face mask before hand to prepare for our trip or shouldn't worry about it? we will be going to Tiananmen square and GW for a day then fly the next morning.

thanks !

Unless you're in extremely poor health or the pollution levels are off the charts, you might want to give the face mask a pass.

we are a couple in late 20s and early 30s and in good health. i am more concerned on the 'smell' side if its that noticeable as well.

thanks moondog, you are extremely helpful in all of my china questions :D

Everybody has different sensitivities but even living there, i do not notice any smell.

Of course you can always see a beautful sunrise at the center of the universe. :D

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...05_964x643.jpg

Naive smog question. Took the train from Beijing to Shanghai yesterday. It was grey and hazy the entire way. That's all smog? I am used to grey winter days, and fog, but what I was seeing was all pollution and smog?

It's just really hard to believe that 700 miles of smog can exist.

You can't always see pollution and what you see is not always pollution.

....and fog, which is common this time of year, isn't pollution in and of itself but traps pollution near the ground

Exactly my point. Fog is frequent in Beijing.

Absolute stinker today with sone areas in town clocking over 400. There seems to be some sort of wind tunnel concentrated on my road and the air is often better than in adjoining areas. Is this some sort of weird phenomenon anyone has noticed elsewhere?

Ugh. So excited to go in two weeks: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/08/wo...red-alert.html

I arrived in Chengdu two days ago, and shortly thereafter felt that slightly tingly sensation in the lungs that is the telltale sign of particulates pollution. Within six hours I began coughing. :td: The 24 hour convenience store around the corner only had women's facemask in stock, but I didn't care. I wanted to filter off as much of this crap air right away. I understand that our sensitivities are different; Local Chengduers seem oblivious to this, yet so many people are walking around with a cough, or worse yet, constant and loud expellings of phlegm.

I have found this app for my iphone useful for monitoring air quality: CHINA AIR QUALITY INDEX

Xinhua is reporting red flag warning for virtually the entire northern half of the country. I can't imagine how bad it is in Beijing, considering that Chengdu is currently officially reported as "lightly polluted," "Workout Suitable." :eek::td:

Joy for the red alert in Beijing today. I think we're going to escape meetings this afternoon and go to the National Museum. Glad I brought my respirator mask:D

Beijing Air (Embassy twitter account) says PM237 at 0800 today.....

The air is bad today, but not as bad as last week so far. I think the red alert is a face saving exercise after last weeks debacle (Ironic I know).

@NYC rachel from what I hear you should be 'OK' in a couple of weeks. I would expect a bad January as they ramp up production before the Spring Fesitval break, unless that is what they have been doing now, and we will be in for a pleasant couple of months.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/wo...=top-news&_r=0

Hopefully there are clear skies when I arrive on Wednesday? lol

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
They have a hope machine in Tiananmen Square.


http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1568813/original.jpg

I will be headed from the USA to Guilin and Chengdu in about 3 weeks. I am thinking that it might be smart to bring some kind of mask to filter out the pollution but am not sure what would be the best thing. Are there any suggestions on the type or brand of mask ?

Thank you

Why do you think you need a mask in Chengdu and Guilin?

3M produces a variety of disposable N95 masks, try to get one geared for particulates rather than just fumes. Try local drug stores or home improvement stores. They also make N99 and N100 but that might be a bit overkill. If it will make you feel more prepared, maybe take just a few masks if you're only in China for a short time. Usually you can reuse them for a day or so then discard. You might find you don't need them at all.

Guilin normally doesn't have much of a pollution problem compared to most Chinese cities, but Chengdu definitely can have. http://chengdu.usembassy-china.org.c...-monitor4.html Currently Chengdu's air isn't too bad (PM2.5 below 200) especially for short-timers, and it's not at a level where I personally would wear a mask, but at time of the poster's upcoming trip, it could be worse.

The poster above recently commented on how the air in Chengdu caused throat irritation and coughing. A few years ago I was in Taipei and experienced this; my throat became very irritated as if I was surrounded by smokers all of the time. Since then I have also been diagnosed with asthma. I want to avoid ill effects of pollution if I can.

This was interesting information. I was just curious as to your reasons and I must admit that I hadn't imagined that Chengdu has any significant issues. Hope you have a good trip !