China - Beijing - The Masked City [2015]
49 images Created 10 Jan 2019
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“I’m really scared of the pollution”, says Mrs. Zhang, a 62-year old retiree who has just finished her morning exercises in Beijing’s Ditan park. Like many other of the city’s elderly residents, she heads out each morning to take part in communal exercises that range from dancing and singing, to kung fu.
On this warm spring morning in mid-March, a familiar haze sits in they air however, keeping the residents of Beijing snugly enveloped underneath its cover. Beijingers have become acutely aware of what this dystopian phenomenon is.
A quick check via one of the numerous online apps reveals the air pollution level is high again. This morning its at 356. “Hazardous”’ according to the US Embassy’s Air Quality Index (AQI) monitor. “Serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; serious risk of respiratory effects in general population”, it advises. “Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion.”
“Last year I bought a professional mask because I had a bad throat. The pollution made it worse”, Mrs. Zhang continues, speaking loudly to break through the fabric that presses close to her mouth.
She is one of many Beijingers that are taking self-protection into their own hands, as part of of a new public trend that is seeing more and more people using the air pollution mask.
“I’m really scared of the pollution”, says Mrs. Zhang, a 62-year old retiree who has just finished her morning exercises in Beijing’s Ditan park. Like many other of the city’s elderly residents, she heads out each morning to take part in communal exercises that range from dancing and singing, to kung fu.
On this warm spring morning in mid-March, a familiar haze sits in they air however, keeping the residents of Beijing snugly enveloped underneath its cover. Beijingers have become acutely aware of what this dystopian phenomenon is.
A quick check via one of the numerous online apps reveals the air pollution level is high again. This morning its at 356. “Hazardous”’ according to the US Embassy’s Air Quality Index (AQI) monitor. “Serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; serious risk of respiratory effects in general population”, it advises. “Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion.”
“Last year I bought a professional mask because I had a bad throat. The pollution made it worse”, Mrs. Zhang continues, speaking loudly to break through the fabric that presses close to her mouth.
She is one of many Beijingers that are taking self-protection into their own hands, as part of of a new public trend that is seeing more and more people using the air pollution mask.
![Xue (29), an engineer visiting Beijing's Lama Temple. "Of course it's not comfortable but we have to put it [the mask] on. I wore it earlier than most. I started about 4 years ago. I cough when I smell the dust." PM2.5 reading - 200 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I00003vIWpOAM8k0/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I00003vIWpOAM8k0.jpg)
![Wu (24), a student, stands next to the red walls of the Lama Temple in Beijing. "When I left home today, I was coughing a lot, so I put it [the mask] on. Before. I only wore it when there was heavy pollution. Now, I wear it everyday." PM2.5 reading - 200 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000VUm9WYQcZqc/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I0000VUm9WYQcZqc.jpg)
![Wu (24), a student, stands next to the red walls of the Lama Temple in Beijing. "When I left home today, I was coughing a lot, so I put it [the mask] on. Before. I only wore it when there was heavy pollution. Now, I wear it everyday." PM2.5 reading - 200 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000LOOx0JHrbuE/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I0000LOOx0JHrbuE.jpg)
![Wu (24), a student, stands next to the red walls of the Lama Temple in Beijing. "When I left home today, I was coughing a lot, so I put it [the mask] on. Before. I only wore it when there was heavy pollution. Now, I wear it everyday." PM2.5 reading - 200 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000JfWCIi.N.Js/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I0000JfWCIi.N.Js.jpg)
![Song (33) wearing advanced 'NeoMask', in Beijing's central business district. "I use this for sports. I ran the Beijing marathon last year. That day was really bad so a lot of people quit. I kept going. After that, my mask was completely black. I don't smoke [but] after 20 minutes outside, I can really feel it. It's important I protect myself." PM2.5 reading - 196 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000WqZgqypJ_4k/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I0000WqZgqypJ_4k.jpg)
![Ms. Pan (left) and Ms. Zhu (right) are co-workers in an Environmental Landscape Design company in Beijing. "The weather is too bad"' explains Ms. Pan. "It's really uncomfortable. I can already feel the cough and headaches. In my professional area, we discuss [this issue] a lot. The air is getting worse and worse." PM2.5 reading - 196 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I000068Cs3ZI4uoQ/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I000068Cs3ZI4uoQ.jpg)
![Ren Dahai (27), a student and Beijing resident, stands in the cities modern CBD area. "I started using the mask last year when the pollution got bad. I didn't pay much attention before that", he explains. "I don't like wearing it but I have to. I watched the [Chai Jing] documentary many times. I shared it with everyone. Now, I pay attention to our behaviour. The documentary inspired me. The future? It's hard to get the environment back. I'm thinking about emigrating." PM2.5 reading - 184 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I00002essyvg9rH0/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I00002essyvg9rH0.jpg)
![Li (23), a sales worker from Hebei Province stands on the platform in Beijing's subway system. Many residents now not only wear the masks outdoors but also in indoor public spaces and on public transportation. "The pollution is too much. I have worn [the mask] since 2013. My home city, Shijiazhuang, is more polluted!" PM2.5 reading - 191 - Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I00001zhEbrxpI0c/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I00001zhEbrxpI0c.jpg)
![Li, a 17-year old beautician from Shandong province, stands in Beijing's Xidan shopping district. "I study here in Beijing. The air is bad"' she says. "Two years ago I started wearing [the mask]. It helps protect my skin. There are too many people here in China which has ruined the environment." PM2.5 reading - 102 - Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000WFXOEI4vT8s/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I0000WFXOEI4vT8s.jpg)
![A tourist (name withheld) from Heilongjiang province, in north-west China, visits the Olympic green in central Beijing. "I knew from TV that the air quality is bad in Beijing, so I bought it before I came here", she says. " In Heilongjiang, the air is better than here but in the [city] downtown area it's similar". PM2.5 reading - 218 - Very Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000P5sF0MyAmvs/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I0000P5sF0MyAmvs.jpg)
![A tourist (name withheld) from Heilongjiang province, in north-west China, visits the Olympic green in central Beijing. "I knew from TV that the air quality is bad in Beijing, so I bought it before I came here", she says. " In Heilongjiang, the air is better than here but in the [city] downtown area it's similar". PM2.5 reading - 218 - Very Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I00009MrXGNzNIZc/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I00009MrXGNzNIZc.jpg)
![A young couple, Kelly Lu and Yanding Li, hold hands during a walk through Beijing's Olympic Park. "I'm pretty sad about this. It's worse and worse", explains Li. "I think the pollution is bad for our health. The PM2.5 damages our lungs [but] we don't have any choice", he laments. "I left China two and half years ago. Then it wasn't so bad. I've been abroad. I know what's good [air] and what's bad. Young people care more than old people. We have more information. We know how bad it is." PM2.5 reading - 218 - Very Unhealthy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I000077AQYSCvqPY/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G000051mM26Ko18E/I000077AQYSCvqPY.jpg)
