Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

As Smog Hits China, Chinese Tourists Seek Fresh Air On Pollution Free Holidays
Forbes ^ | Jan 5, 2017 | Wolfgang Georg Arlt

Posted on 01/13/2017 7:05:02 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster

As Smog Hits China, Chinese Tourists Seek Fresh Air On Pollution Free Holidays

Wolfgang Georg Arlt
Jan 5, 2017


The year 2017 started for China with the first ever nationwide red level fog alarm. On January 4th, the country disappeared under a thick blanket of fog with visibility reduced to below 50 meters (164 feet), grounding air transport and rendering travel by car almost impossible. Red and orange smog alarms were raised in cities from Harbin to Guangzhou and from Chengdu to Hangzhou, halting half of all private transport and forcing many polluting factories and construction sites to shut down in an attempt to reduce levels of air pollution many times above the maximum permitted by the World Health Organization. This alert comes after a week of severe smog in mid-December, which triggered the first red smog alert of the winter and similarly halted operations across many cities in Northern China.

Chinese search engines have noted record numbers of related searches, such as “where to go,” “wash the lungs” and “forests,’’ with China's largest online travel site Ctrip even releasing a "haze travel list" and a “haze travel” report.

The report shows that haze-avoidance tourism has become a winter tourism "must" in recent years. Based on booking statistics, the company reckons that December 2016 saw more than 150,000 Chinese travel abroad specifically to escape air pollution, proving that the search for fresh air has become a major push factor in China’s outbound tourism.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; pollution; smog

1 posted on 01/13/2017 7:05:02 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster; Jeff Head; Tainan; hedgetrimmer; Unam Sanctam; taxesareforever; Avenger; ...

P!


2 posted on 01/13/2017 7:07:04 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster
Read The Smog-Inspired Poem That China Can't Stop Talking About
3 posted on 01/13/2017 7:12:38 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster (dead parakeet + lost fishing gear = freep all day)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster
Having traveled in China a good bit (mainly the southeastern region) and in Hong Kong as well I can guarantee that the clearest day (air quality-wise) that I've ever seen there was far worse than the worst day I've ever seen in the LA Basin or the Ruhr Valley.
4 posted on 01/13/2017 7:14:35 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Deplorables' Lives Matter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster

Just don’t come to Hawaii ! Please ! Far too many clueless non-tipping Chinese tourists here already.


5 posted on 01/13/2017 7:42:42 PM PST by LeoWindhorse (America First !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gay State Conservative
I've followed this for some years, off and on, from the MODIS ORBIT SWATH site ( that search will get you there,) which gives a snapshot of the entire earth everyday, with each image being taken near midday. Actually two snapshots, one each from two satellites, TERRA and AQUA.

The worst I ever saw personally was around Beijing on Christmas Eve 2008. I guess this link should work. Beijing is under the grey murk bounded by that brown mountainous ridge, on the right of the image. I've also checked recently to corroborate the reports of the last week or so.

The thing I always wonder about is the scope of the public health issue that this must surely engender. I guess they just endure it, which is their tradition in the first place, but thoroughly reinforced by their totalitarian government.

6 posted on 01/13/2017 7:46:24 PM PST by dr_lew (I)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster

But the United States is the world’s biggest polluter! I know this because the New York Times told me so!!!/sarcasm;)


7 posted on 01/13/2017 8:10:41 PM PST by Frank_2001
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster

And yet Al Gore, Pope Francis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and John Kerry don’t seem to get around to mentioning that.

Only the evil Americans are a threat to the ecosystem.


8 posted on 01/13/2017 8:12:46 PM PST by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gay State Conservative

I worked in China from fall ‘76 to spring ‘77. Went through Beijing, Harbin and Chengdu on the way to various job sites. There was only very mild smog in Beijing and almost perfectly clear air in Chengdu and Harbin.

They should have been smart enough to install western pollution equipment as they were growing.


9 posted on 01/13/2017 8:50:18 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: TigerLikesRooster

I spent two weeks in China this past December. By the end of my trip, the only thing I wanted was to breathe clean air.


10 posted on 01/14/2017 5:52:11 AM PST by onona (Keeping the faith will be our new directive for the republic !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson