Students in a primary school in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, have their physical education class on Wednesday in a gym covered with an air cleaning system. (Photo by WANG XIAO/XINHUA)
"It is better to spend hours on a train than waiting anxiously at an airport," she said, adding that the journey takes two hours by air and seven hours by high-speed rail.
At least 32 cities have issued red alerts for air pollution, the highest emergency response in the four-tiered system, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said.
The lingering smog has made Beijing extend its orange alert, which started on Dec 30, until Saturday.
Along with the smog alerts, China also issued a red alert for fog on Tuesday, the first since the government revised the fog warning system in 2013.
On Wednesday, heavy fog had engulfed vast northern regions including Beijing, Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Henan and Shandong, reducing visibility to 50 meters, said Gui Hailin, senior engineer of the China Meteorological Administration.
The fog covered an area as large as 150,000 square kilometers, severely disrupting traffic, he said.
The fog was forecast to lift in some parts on Wednesday night, thanks to wind, which will also ease the heavy air pollution, he said, adding that the affected areas are forecast to have clean air beginning on Sunday night.
