Breathing Trouble!!

China is the most polluted place on earth! People burn everything-leaves, trash, fields, etc. Factories spewing various colors of smoke dot the landscape. Everyone heats with coal in their homes and businesses. Although we have purportedly been in several cities surrounded by mountains, we haven't seen them. Stars? What are those?

In addition to outdoor pollution, indoors almost every man in China smokes. Chain smokes, right under the nonsmoking sign. I have become the cigarette Nazi, pointing to peoples cigarettes and then the signs. It's a losing battle. The women don't smoke. Why? The men think its gross if they do!

People here do not seem to be aware of the health dangers posed by the constant thick haze of smoke that settles over the landscape and obscures the horizon. Many times we have seen high rise apartment blocks literally in the shadow of a large, spewing factory, right in the dead zone. You would think that someone would realize that since nothing grows there, maybe they shouldn't live there!

Tim and I noticed that many people wear clothe face masks. We even bought some. We were discussing how some people became aware of the pollution, when we were informed that the people wear the masks for the cold, not the pollution.Sometimes I see a person wearing an old, white mask. The nostril and mouth areas are black.

A small factory along the road



Sunrise on a bright, clear day, believe it or not.



Skyline of a "modern commercial and industrial city" in China.





Here is a close up of that big spewer. This one might only be steam.



Typical heating and cooking smoke that comes from every home and small business in China





Burning leaves and trash by the road.



Burning branches in Xiahie



Part of the Jiayuguan fort with it's factory backdrop



This view of the fort should have big, beautiful snow mountains for a backdrop.



This one is only spewing a bit of smoke



Mao's quote of the day from the little red book.

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.

"Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung" 1966, Foreign Languages Press.

Please note that Mao's quotes are presented for informational purposes only, and do not reflect the opinions of the blog author!