A new spate of smog in Beijing

It is 97 days and counting until the Beijing Summer Games get under way, and (cough, cough) the air is pretty bad.

Despite a May 1 holiday period that has cleared many vehicles off the road in Beijing, we are experiencing a terrible period of smog.

My wife washed the car on Wednesday. By Friday, it was filthy. I had to wash the windshield to see properly. When I went to pick up a friend at the new Terminal 3 in the airport last night, I noticed to my astonishment that you could actually see smog in the pedestrian sky bridge between the terminal and the parking garage.

I can only include the photos above from our 14th floor window.

This is the (Chinese language) link to Beijing’s environmental protection bureau website that lists the pollution index for 28 spots around the capital. All of them show what China describes as moderate levels of air pollution. It may be moderate to the local officials, but it is heavy enough that I don’t particularly want to go out riding a bike today.

Comments

[jeff]

It looks very bad if considering the amount of effort they have put into this. It is not much different from my hometown(northern). Sad.

[jeff]

Nightmare for carrefour(CCP?) All starting with a text message.

" Bin Laden says: “China is the only country in the world where you absolutely cannot cause trouble! That’s because al-Qaeda once sent seven terrorists to launch a surprise attack on China, and the result was this:

When the first terrorist went to blow up a grade splitting bridge for road traffic [where one road goes on top and the other below], he got dizzy and fell over;

When the second terrorist went to blow up a bus, he couldn’t get on because it was too crowded;

When the third terrorist went to blow up a supermarket, he found that his remote detonation device had been pick-pocketed;

When the fourth terrorist went to blow a government building, he was beaten madly to pieces by security guards, who exclaimed: “We’ll teach you to demand wages and appeal to the authorities for help!”;

The fifth terrorist successfully blew up a mine and killed and injured several hundred people, yet after his clandestine return to al-Qaeda, not a single news report about the incident appeared in the media for six months, so al-Qaeda punished him for the “crime of spreading lies”;

The sixth terrorist attempted to blow up Guangzhou, yet when he exited the train station, his explosive material was forcibly stolen by the “Galloping Band” (feiche dang) of motorcycle thieves, which left him traumatized for quite some time;

The seventh terrorist went to blow up Tieling - the base of China’s steel industry - yet the sad appeals of Zhao Benshan [famous actor and comedian from northeast China] discouraged him.

Recently, a female terrorist was sent to blow up Henan, but she was hoodwinked and made a prostitute!

On May 1st, don’t go to Carrefour! Let the world know that China can’t be messed with! Happy Holidays!"

[Officer Bob Brady]

How is China's new property law (2007) being applied in the Hong Kong, Macao, and Tibet? Understand some farmers have also been demanding property rights in the mainland also. If the PRC is unable to deal with property rights and land ownership it is not surprising they can't handle human rights very well. Maybe the CCP is right there are a lot of other reforms that have to be undertaken before political reform.

[ABC]

Hong Kong has a separate Law under One Country Two Systems. Like their counterparts in mainland China, Hong Kong people cannot own the land. They buy the "use" of land for a finite time such as 50 years.

[shenqh]

It is sad to see Beijing city is so badly polluted. This is why China needs tibet, where air is clean and fresh, and sky is blue. Chinese people will have a chance in Tibet once in a while to breath some fresh air.

[A B]

@ABC

The facts are as follows:

HK People can de facto own the land.

There are deeds that are 'permanent', and there are deeds consisting of leases of 999 years right to shorter durations.

Furthermore, the practice of the SAR is to renew leases without terribly onerous terms.

Hence, there is, real property ownership here by any reasonable assessment of the system.

[Eddie]

hmm, the pictures showing here looks more like fog then smog. Here in San Francisco we have foggy days like this all the time. Why try to mislead your faithful readers? I always thought u were better than CNN lol~~

[Eddie]

Wait b4 all the bashing on me, I don't mean Beijing's air is nice and super clean, but what I am saying is, why use a picture taken on a cloudy and foggy day and say it's smog and pollution?

[nanheyangrouchuan]

@ Jeff

That is funny!

@ everyone else, businessweek.com acknowledges the true badness of China.
http://tinyurl.com/6k6ft4

[jeff]

nanheyangrouchuan

Yeah. From this satire, you can see, except a couple red lines, basically Chinese pretty much enjoy free speech.

[jeff]

nanheyangrouchuan

I am curious about your ID. You are Chinese?

[Search4T]

Time to stop bitching and get packing TJ. Beijing's air has been dirty since the time Bush the senior was riding bicycle with Barbara and W on Chang-an Ave. And for someone that has been living in Beijing for so many years, you sounded you just got off the flight. Maybe someone's assignment is expiring and is trying to build a case for renegotiating a better expat package w/ Mcclatchy now? But no expat package is cushy enough for you and your family to breath such filthy air.

[nanheyangrouchuan]

@ Jeff,

I am whatever you want me to be.
Also, is the "filth" on cars in Beijing ashy or oily?

[jeff]

nanheyangrouchuan

WOW, you are running an anti-China blog site. Just a reminder. Tim already had a post on the PLA monks pic. It is a fake.

[A B]

Tim!

You got it all wrong!

That is not smog at all.

That is the Chinese Air Defense system at work --- the fog is there intentionally to protect Beijing from aerial surveillance and attack!

Just go check with the PLA!

-----

Now, jokes aside. My offer to meet with anyone who wishes to meet this "mysterious" poster is open --- Would Tim or some other blogger like to name a place in Beijing and let me know when is a good time Wednesday (May 7) or after?

Tim, you can email me as well.

Respectfully,

A B

[GWBush]

It is silly how CNN and YOU GUYS here make no sense common on CHINA topic, WE, CHINESE, are not gonna listen because we are enjoying the fruit of years or hard works. When you guys were thinking US is the most sucessful country in human right, you silly MFuKer, your protectionialism, tariff on Canadian's soft wood, Mecixo and other countries, OR use your Amry to take over OIL field that you need, WE CHINESE PPL work hard to make $$, and WE BUY OIL FIELD (not sending out ARMY). If you think the spreak of your media will have any affect on CHINESE, the only thing I see is that, WE NEVER BEEN SO UNITED. Thank you. I love CNN.

[GWBush]

By the way, it is a kindly reminder that you own us billions of USD. Don't think of depreciate your USD will help the situation and you will have a sulplus on your Huge trade deficit, its your lazy ppl and CNN workers, and no life ppl who like making comment when they are at work.. to blame. Please kindly pay back the biggest debt in the world before the Olymipic, BTW, the game is already making tons of $$, without any foreigner coming :)
Last by no least, please reply in CHINESE if you can. Or you can pick on my grammer and stuff, thank you, it will help, I want to improve my english too, to make more of your money.
BTW,if Ford or GM cannot sell car in CHINA, they are dead already, well, I know, I know, they are not #1 anymore, they got beat up badly by Japs, I know, I know, sorry to hear that, by it is fate, and we can help it. Think of the good fact, US is the world fattest country in the world, have the most funniest show like Jerrery Springer, keep recuit young teens to go flight and get killed, what over 1000+ died soldier already (it that why it is "sold"ier, that they "sold" the life to GWB?? I throught you guys won the battle in five days?? Sorry to hear that again....We just killed 500 tibetian last month, (news from CNN), YOU can believe whatever the media is saying, it is all up to you, the fact is, most of the ppl in US are now facing many problems, your pension $$ is eating up but rich ppl in your country, your health care system is dying, you trade deficit is historic high, not to mention you tech is now beating up by Japs and other countries... so if I were you MYOB

[jeff]

GWBush

LOL. Calm down. Be Cool.

Don't be so serious. There is no conspiracy. There is nothing wrong for the leadership of a country to twist the facts in order to gain national interests for their own people. This is what they are supposed to do. And everyone is doing it. Although it is against Traditional Chinese value, the ordinary Chinese just have to get used to it.

[nanheyangrouchuan]

@ jeff

"Tim already had a post on the PLA monks pic. It is a fake."

Xinhua has worked hard to provide its "evidence" showing that the photo is not fake but is from some movie shoot. Right.

[Rick]

Just one time, I would like to hear these anti china journalist say this:

"Iam racist and suffer from an acute case of the yellow peril. If ne nation that is not of caucasian majority, it is my job to put them down. I believe that the west is the only civilization to deserve a high standard of living and every cilivization is 2nd class citizens to the point of barbarians. Democracy is the end all to be all. Any global policy is good as long as it favors the west. Free trade is great! as long as its in our favor, but I think it time for tariffs because China is out competing us. Buttom line is I don't like the Chinks, Apu and the Osamas of the world. And I will make a conceited effort to talk as much shit about them as I can cause it makes me feel good inside."

Just one time I would like to have a journalist tell what exactly his position is instead of the "free tibet and communist is evil retoric", for just one time dont hide behind your bullshit. Tim Johnson, if you can put that in your next post, you have my respect.

[shenqh]

"Iam racist and suffer from an acute case of the yellow peril. If ne nation that is not of caucasian majority, it is my job to put them down. I believe that the west is the only civilization to deserve a high standard of living and every cilivization is 2nd class citizens to the point of barbarians. Democracy is the end all to be all. Any global policy is good as long as it favors the west. Free trade is great! as long as its in our favor, but I think it time for tariffs because China is out competing us. Buttom line is I don't like the Chinks, Apu and the Osamas of the world. And I will make a conceited effort to talk as much shit about them as I can cause it makes me feel good inside."

That is exactly the root thought of white people and I believe him. CCP is too naive.

[Robert Stevens]

The American Fascist Bought and Soldiers -- NOW THAT'S PRETTY GOOD!

Remembered from a Volkswagen bumper sticker in Munich 1939 during the Fascist German invasion of Poland:

"SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!"

[shenqh]

There is one benefit by living in dusty air condition. You are unlikely to develop allergy to plants and flowers. After stayed in the clean air in US for several years, I got serious allergy at spring time. It makes me very miserable. Giving me a choice, I would prefer living in a dusty air without allergy problem.

[Eve]

They call that 'moderate' pollution?? That is worse than the air quality of L.A. at its worst. A few years back an U.S. citizen living in Shanghai went back to U.S. for vacation and went to the doctor for a checkup. The doctor said --you have to stop smoking. The man replied, "I don't smoke, I live in Shanghai." The doctor said living in Shanghai was like having a several pack a day smoking habit. A true story.

[Eddie]

Com'on, if what's in the picture is really pollutant and smog, the city would have been evacuated way before it gets this ugly, and I am damn sure you would have left Beijing long time ago.

Tim, Im pretty sure you can find a picture with a layer of smog blanketing Beijing just like those you see associated with Los Angeles, but if you couldnt find one, why bother with a story with this topic and use fog and cloud as polluted air and distort the image of Beijing and it's ppl?

I am definitely expecting some type of explaination of your point of view here.