A co-worker was born there and moved here as a child in the 90s. She went back to her parent's village a year ago and was aghast at the pollution.
It sounded like all the vile stuff we got rid of years ago, soot, particulate, etc.
And not just the air, industrial waste, sewage, etc was all dumped in the rivers.
China has acknowledged a policy of "build now & clean up later" in their bid to catch up economically with the west. They are so far behind us economically that I don't think they can survive their current policy--surely they will choke on their own filth before they reach where they want to be.
Scattered reports from both the Chinese government and other concerned organization paint China as an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen.