It is no secret that there is a major issue with pollution in China, and specifically, Beijing. This
is mainly due in part to the way the directon the wind blows from, the number of cars in Beijing
and the use of the factories during the day. The pollution is especially bad during the winter and
weekdays. In the winter, the heating is turned on, which, naturally, requires energy to power the
heaters. In addition, the wind which often blows from the north carries more pollution, which
settles in the valley that Beijing is in. On some days, the pollution is so bad that I can’t even see
the sun and the entire day is just a gray blur. There is some debate on what is considered a day
with high pollution. Generally, my rule is, as Savannah said once, "if I can see that the sky is
blue, then the pollution isn’t bad today." In numbers, the pollution usually gets really bad past
250 on the American Embassy’s pollution app.
The affects of pollution described by our student handbook for the NSLI-Y program are
relatively accurate. Over the Chinese New Year holiday, when the pollution was especially bad
due to the fireworks, I actually developed a dry cough. When, after almost a month, it hadn’t
faded, I finally let my resident director take me to the doctor. The diagnosis was that I had mild
asthma due to the recent serious pollution. Apparently, the extremely mild asthma I had as a
child had returned. Nonetheless, the physical affects aren’t the only affects of pollution on
people. In my experience, I’ve found that multiple days in a row with high pollution are
especially hard to get through. I can’t exactly explain why, only that everyone seems twice as
restless and blue in class on polluted days than on clear days.
But then, there are also good days, when the sky is a pure, vibrant blue. Last week, we had our
first blue sky day after a long series of dark days. All of us eagerly awaited gym class at the end
of the day. When it finally came, it was as though we were in elementary school again. We
played various games, like capture the flag, red rover, and crack the whip, during which I fell
and scraped my knees, an excellent excuse to get out of the last class of the day: class
meeting. Today, on another one of those suddenly rare beautiful days, four of us girls ran laps
around the track, and then went for a jog before dinner. We’ve learned to take advantage of the
few beautiful, unpolluted days that we get.
The pollution in the rest of China is getting worse too. I have been told that in the past, along
the eastern coast, there was very little pollution, due to the sea air. Now, even port cities have
days with bad pollution. There are cities that in the past few years have gone from almost no
pollution to days when it is as bad as Beijing. Fortunately, the Chinese government is aware of
this issue and working to fix it. In Beijing, on days when the pollution is above a certain level,
all public schools (which include elementary and middle schools) and factories are closed by
the government. Due to the pollution and excessive traffic jams they cause, cars are only
allowed to be driven in Beijing on certain days of the week based on one’s license plate.
It is my opinion that as time goes on the pollution in Beijing will lessen. There was a time
during the Industrial Revolution when the pollution in Philadelphia and other industrial factory
cities were just as bad. As for now, with spring finally approaching, the air is cleaning up on its
own. The way I see it, pollution is just a phase that China will soon grow out of in time.
Meanwhile, when you can’t see the sun, put on a mask. When you can, enjoy the day as best as
you can.
is mainly due in part to the way the directon the wind blows from, the number of cars in Beijing
and the use of the factories during the day. The pollution is especially bad during the winter and
weekdays. In the winter, the heating is turned on, which, naturally, requires energy to power the
heaters. In addition, the wind which often blows from the north carries more pollution, which
settles in the valley that Beijing is in. On some days, the pollution is so bad that I can’t even see
the sun and the entire day is just a gray blur. There is some debate on what is considered a day
with high pollution. Generally, my rule is, as Savannah said once, "if I can see that the sky is
blue, then the pollution isn’t bad today." In numbers, the pollution usually gets really bad past
250 on the American Embassy’s pollution app.
The affects of pollution described by our student handbook for the NSLI-Y program are
relatively accurate. Over the Chinese New Year holiday, when the pollution was especially bad
due to the fireworks, I actually developed a dry cough. When, after almost a month, it hadn’t
faded, I finally let my resident director take me to the doctor. The diagnosis was that I had mild
asthma due to the recent serious pollution. Apparently, the extremely mild asthma I had as a
child had returned. Nonetheless, the physical affects aren’t the only affects of pollution on
people. In my experience, I’ve found that multiple days in a row with high pollution are
especially hard to get through. I can’t exactly explain why, only that everyone seems twice as
restless and blue in class on polluted days than on clear days.
But then, there are also good days, when the sky is a pure, vibrant blue. Last week, we had our
first blue sky day after a long series of dark days. All of us eagerly awaited gym class at the end
of the day. When it finally came, it was as though we were in elementary school again. We
played various games, like capture the flag, red rover, and crack the whip, during which I fell
and scraped my knees, an excellent excuse to get out of the last class of the day: class
meeting. Today, on another one of those suddenly rare beautiful days, four of us girls ran laps
around the track, and then went for a jog before dinner. We’ve learned to take advantage of the
few beautiful, unpolluted days that we get.
The pollution in the rest of China is getting worse too. I have been told that in the past, along
the eastern coast, there was very little pollution, due to the sea air. Now, even port cities have
days with bad pollution. There are cities that in the past few years have gone from almost no
pollution to days when it is as bad as Beijing. Fortunately, the Chinese government is aware of
this issue and working to fix it. In Beijing, on days when the pollution is above a certain level,
all public schools (which include elementary and middle schools) and factories are closed by
the government. Due to the pollution and excessive traffic jams they cause, cars are only
allowed to be driven in Beijing on certain days of the week based on one’s license plate.
It is my opinion that as time goes on the pollution in Beijing will lessen. There was a time
during the Industrial Revolution when the pollution in Philadelphia and other industrial factory
cities were just as bad. As for now, with spring finally approaching, the air is cleaning up on its
own. The way I see it, pollution is just a phase that China will soon grow out of in time.
Meanwhile, when you can’t see the sun, put on a mask. When you can, enjoy the day as best as
you can.
Today’s air quality as of 8 pm. The chart below shows the pollution levels for the past week
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