Long of peace, short of breath

This panorama, an amalgamation of photos of Beijing’s “atmosphere” during the once-a-decade meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference from March 4 – 17, shows the state of environmental affairs along Chang’an Jie (“Long Peace Street”) and Tian’anmen Square. As this panoramic combo makes its way around the Internet, coupled with last week’s news of almost 6,000 dead pigs clogging Shanghai’s waterways, expect environmental news to take front-and-center this week in Chinese news and on QQ/Sina Weibo.

Three sunny, blue-sky days out of 14 in Beijing? The visiting politicians must have brought good luck with them.

The People's Air!

A popularly circulated image on Sina Weibo (prior to its “harmonizing“) and the Shanghaiist, Beijing’s iconic Mao Zedong portrait contends with the capital city’s continuing air pollution epidemic. Be it sandstorms, factories, construction, or meteorological misfortune, Weibo user @yanyutong’s tongue-in-cheek-in-mask reference is apparently too controversial for Beijing’s choking victims residents.

(It’s not that bad. So long as you don’t mind blowing your nose and seeing black.)

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