A History of Beijing’s Hazy Shade of Winter

Beijing’s first air pollution red alert marked a historic occasion in the city’s fight against air pollution as. Much of the capital came to a standstill from December 8 to 10, with classes suspended and construction sites shut down. Many citizens yearned for the clear skies so common when foreign dignitaries visit for important events, such as during the now-infamous “APEC blue” and Victory Day parade days. Understandably, people are inclined to believe that Beijing’s air quality deteriorated with tremendous hast since China’s economic boom that began 35 years ago. It would make sense then that Beijing would’ve had much better air quality in times when vehicles and factories were but figments from the future. Or so one would think. As an article from the People’s Daily website in March implies, Beijing has witnessed air pollution for centuries, albeit it the form of ‘haze” and not smog. The earliest records of Beijing’s haze dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) where, according to The History of Yuan Dynasty by Yuan scholars Song Lian and Wang Yi, a heavy haze plagued the city in March under the lunar calendar of 1329. The main cause was insufficient rains and an absence of snow. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) saw haze as a more frequent annoyance. In the winter of 1481, a wild wind […]