Residents in many parts of Northern and eastern China finally caught a breath of fresh air on Wednesday, after almost a week of heavy smog in these pollution-prone parts of the country. And the air quality here in the Chinese capital got so bad, that authorities issued an orange alert, putting in place emergency measures to cope with the smog. Now to give you a better picture of just how severe the air pollution was. These are satellite images snapped by US space agency NASA on November the 30th. You can see a "smog belt" extending from the Chinese capital all the way to the province of Shaanxi. This round of smog began late last week and was at its worst at the beginning of this week.
A celebratory mood on Weibo on Wednesday after overnight winds blew back fresh air for many millions of residents in Northern China.
The Chinese capital looked a far cry from just the day before when you couldn't separate day from night, and the city's many landmarks were barely visible.
"This smog makes it hard to see, it's really easy for accidents to happen. Today I didn't drive but as soon as I came out my throat felt uncomfortable, so I'm wearing a mask."
"In the past the air was so clear, you could see the clouds, so clear, but nowadays when can you see a clear sky or white clouds? Never. The air is truly horrible."
Residents coped however they could. Many wore masks, a few avoided the outdoors completely while some vented on the internet.
This set of pictures, or rather doodles have gone viral since. Beijing's landmark architecture fading beneath the shroud, brought back with artistic license.
And one netizen even took the time and effort to document how the Chinese capital went from filthy to clean in less than 5 hours.
But jokes aside, the public is also demanding answers.
"It's the result of a combination of local pollution, transferred pollution and unfavourable weather conditions. The pollution was caused by coal burning and industrial emissions while the atmospheric condition made it impossible for the pollution to dissipate," Professor Wang Zifa with Chinese Academy of Sciences said.
Many are also pointing the finger at the city's response measures, or, the lack of. An orange alert was issued by the Beijing government. Some factories were shut down, construction halted and schools paused outdoor activities.
"We believe that the orange alert is in line with the Heavy Air Pollution Contingency Plan . But the problem is that we saw heavy pollution for more than three consecutive days, without a red alert issued in advance accordingly. So we believe this contingency plan is in fact inadequate," Dong Liansai, climate & energy campaigner of Greenpeace, said.
For now, residents in the pollution prone regions of China are enjoying a reprieve. But there is one question hanging on the minds of the public, when will fresh air again be the norm and not a luxury.
