Residents of China's capital are enjoying some much-needed respiratory respite this week, as suffocating smog finally subsided to clear blue skies.
In mid-December, for just the second time ever, Beijing issued a red alert for air pollution — warning of severe smog expected to last more than 72 hours.
The measures to combat the red alert were extensive. Traffic was cut in half when a new number-plate system was introduced, forcing odd-numbered cars off the road one day and even numbered plates the next. Meanwhile, workplaces and schools were shut and industrial plants operated under limited production.
Fortunately for Beijing's 21 million citizens, a breath of cold air lifted the blanketing smog from the gasping city earlier this week.
Below are some images that demonstrate the stark contrast, a tale of two cities, between Beijing under 'airpocalypse' and Beijing under azure skies.
The people in the background of this photo taken outside Tiananmen Square aren't out of focus — in December, visibility dropped to below 50 metres because of the smog.
Source: Reuters.
China's 'smog season' is largely down to the burning of coal, hence its occurrence — and worsening — in winter as families light fires to stay warm.
Source: South China Morning Post.
Flying conditions were far from ideal. On New Year's Day, 126 flights that should have been full of families returning from the holidays were cancelled.
Source: Reuters.
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