Latest News:  

English>>China Society

Heavy smog reveals generation gap (2)

(Xinhua)

10:03, January 15, 2013

Like Peng, several middle-aged and elderly residents interviewed were nonchalant about the pollution. Many said they had gotten used to the city's many smoggy winter days, while others voiced suspicion over the severe health problems the pollution is said to trigger.

Doctors and health experts agree that excessive inhalation of PM2.5, or airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, raises people's risks for cardiac and respiratory diseases, with children and the elderly being the most at-risk groups.

In Xuanwu Park, located in a heavily populated part of Beijing, crowds of elderly residents played shadow boxing, jogged or participated in aerobic exercises.

Shao Xuexian, an 81-year-old asthmatic, was the only person there with a protective mask. He said he believes kicking the shuttlecock around is good for his health, so he does it even on smoggy days.

Other exercisers and park management staff said fewer people over 70 have visited the park in the previous three days, but residents in their 50s or 60s seemed largely undeterred by the smog.

Older Beijingers' apathy toward the unhealthy air runs a stark contrast to the conversation happening online. It seems like all Chinese netizens have turned to the Internet to complain about the choking air and criticize the slow progress the government is making in pollution control.

Young Beijing residents have reacted quickly to the smoggy weather, pushing up sales of protective masks and air purifiers on China's major B2C online portals. On Beijing's streets, most people in protective masks appear to be in their 20s and 30s.

Guokr, a website committed to popularizing science, on Sunday posted a guide on how to select pollutant-proof masks and wear them correctly. It was forwarded over 1,100 times on Sina Weibo, a popular microblogging site, on Monday.


【1】 【2】 【3】





We Recommend:

Your moment supports my whole life

Love makes us stay together forever

Chinese under the pressure

China sends patrol vessel to S. China Sea

Why ‘Chinese style road crossing’ occurs

Beijing witnesses 7th snowfall this winter

Survey: Chinese men more 'hasty' in love

China's weekly story (2012.12.21-12.27)

Revised traffic regulation takes effect in China

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:黄瑾、陈丽丹)

Related Reading

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Carrier-based aircraft unit in flight training

  2. J-10 fighters over E. China Sea

  3. Countries with the cleanest air

  4. Chengdu braces for holiday travel rush

  5. The strongest left-behind children

  6. Heavy fog envelops Chinese cities

  7. 1st individual user of grid-connected PV power

  8. Food and flower festivals

  9. Have fun picking strawberries in Jinshan

  10. Japanese crazy for blood types

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. A very rash act by the US
  2. Message of caution for Japan
  3. Adding mortar to the BRICS
  4. Children without parents still lack help, protection
  5. Philippines moves in wrong direction
  6. Drinking water safety is not a simple problem
  7. Japan's envisaged 'warning shots' dangerous
  8. When Chinese wives meet American mothers-in-law
  9. Will you leave a city because of cold?
  10. Labor system reform renders salute to Constitution

What’s happening in China

The strongest left-behind children: 9-year-old girl holds up a family

  1. Snow eases air pollution in Beijing, more or less
  2. Bureau tried to 'borrow' orphans from temple
  3. Levels of greenhouse gases reach record high
  4. Shoppers snap up air purifiers to beat the smog
  5. Authorities to boost wild bird protection