Our family arrived in Beijing on an ice cold and grey December morning in 2015. With three children, 15 suitcases and a very unhappy cat, we had barely left the aircraft before we put on our masks. Thanks to our newly acquired air pollution app, we knew that Beijing was going to welcome us with a good deal of smog. The numbers did not lie – but more about them later.

If you’re about to move to Beijing, you may have experienced skepticism from your family and friends. In our case, the questions went along the lines of “how can you even consider settling down there? And with children? Beijing of all places. Have you not read about the pollution?”I admit that we were concerned about the air quality aspect – but once you understand the impact (if any) pollution will have on your life in Beijing and become aware of the tools at your disposal, you’re set for a good start.

Tomorrow Is Purple: Run for the Hills!
The air quality is measured in the density of the tiny PM 2.5 – or fine particulate matters with diameters less than 2.5 micrometers – or 20 times thinner than the human hair. On that cold December morning when we first landed in Beijing, the density of PM 2.5 was approximately 300 micrograms per cubic meter. That is six times the value recommended by the World Health Organization.

As individuals, there is little we can do about the city’s air pollution problem. We can moan about it, look at it from our living room windows, shake our heads. And then have faith in Chinese authorities because after all, they are trying to do something about it.

If you drive a scooter within the city’s Fourth Ring Road (there are six of them in total) it has to be electric. Diesel cars are banned in Beijing and results of the government’s “coal to gas” program are becoming visible. In the near future, 500 of the most polluting plants will be shut down and 2,500 factories will be upgraded. Authorities have also begun to deal with garbage incineration and the burning of wood. This means, among other things, that most outdoor barbecue restaurants in Beijing have been shut down.

But while we’re waiting for a long-term improvement, smog is still a reality in Beijing and as residents, we have some tools we can use to address the problem in our everyday lives.

Masks. As newcomers in Beijing, you are likely to find yourself debating the usefulness of masks when talking to your new friends. Some say they work and some say they don’t. There are, however, some very sophisticated and almost completely airtight models on the market and wearing masks certainly cannot harm. My personal advice is to use masks. And when you forget your mask at home, make sure to keep your mouth closed. Studies show that the nose has a natural mechanism to filter dangerous particles and prevent them from entering the lungs.

Air purifiers are machines that filter the harmful particles and ensure a better indoor climate. When the pollution is at its worst, all six air purifiers in our apartment run at full blast. And boy are they noisy! They are a bulky and necessary purchase and come in a variety of sizes and prices. Just make sure to check and replace your filter every couple of months (maybe more) to make sure it is still doing its job and not clogged up with PM 2.5.

Air quality apps. There are tons of them on the market. Apps that tell us what today’s Air Quality Index is. In the beginning, I checked my app constantly, but our seventh-floor living room window has gradually become our new scale: If we can see the big crane among the skyscrapers in the Central Business District clearly – then the air quality is probably between 50 and 100. If the top of it is covered by smog, we are approaching the 200 mark and if the crane is invisible, it’s time to grab those masks and turn the purifiers up a notch.

Closed windows. Whatever happens: Do not open the windows before you’ve checked your app. We wait for blue skies and clean air before we open the windows. Daily ventilation is, alas, a thing of the past.

The Egg, or the little gadget that measures the indoor air quality. Far from all Beijing residents invest in an “egg” but in expat circles, it is in high demand and can be a useful tool in making sure the AQI levels indoors are much better than outside.

Day trips. I would be lying if I said that the air pollution does not affect my mood. Especially when it’s the fourth or fifth day in a row with grey and thick air. I tend to organize an excursion or a mini-break when it’s too much. You do not have to go far to find cleaner air so whether it’s for a weekend in a different province or a day trip to the mountains just north of Beijing, day trips are by far my most used mental tool. Directly followed by a huge burger from one of the western joints in Sanlitun.

Cheer Up – We’re Back to Green
Smog is part of our everyday life in Beijing. It is like a heavy cloud in the back of our minds – and on the rooftops of the city. But even when it’s at its worst, life goes on. We cycle, we go out and the kids go to school (luckily, most international schools have very advanced air filters). Shops are open, the elderly meet in the parks for Taichi and folk dance, friends gather (indoors or outdoors) and nothing is canceled. Well except from the training sessions of my husband’s running club. They have set the limit for outdoor training at AQI 200.

In our family, we have accepted that bad air is something we have to live with.

So far, I have luckily succeeded in letting the positive and unique experiences in China outweigh the poor air quality. I may well be going crazy but sometimes it’s as if I can hear Beijing whisper to me: “I know, you’re feeling down today. Thank you for your patience and here is most beautiful blue sky and an air quality of 30 for you. Go ahead and open those windows”.

For more of Lise’s reflections and stories about everyday life in Beijing, go to her blog www.ninemillionbicycles.weebly.com or to www.lisefloris.com.

This article appeared on p44－45 of beijingkids July 2018 Home & Relocation Guide issue.
Photo: Adobe Stock Photo

Despite being billed as an innovative mode of transit that will keep you safe from smog, Beijing’s new air purifier-equipped Gongjiaoyilu buses are actually a catastrophic bust.

I rode one of the shiny new bright red buses (which are electric-powered in addition to sporting air purifiers, as part of Beijing’s push against pollution) from Guomao to Tiananmen on Oct 26, when the AQI was well over 250 outside. The hype surrounding these pollution-filtering buses in state media, along with the reassuring hiss of the sealing doors, and the shocking quiet (when compared to other noisy, drafty bus rides I’ve taken in Beijing), all led me to think that the air quality inside would be fairly good. A ride on a bus outfitted with purifiers is also all the more appealing after recent news that Beijing’s air quality has worsenedin the past year, despite intensive efforts by the authorities to curb pollution. The Gongjiaoyilu fleet consists of 10 air purifier-equipped buses that run the length of Chang’an Avenue, according to Xinhua.

The bus appeared to have very carefully designed air circulation at first glance, including this fan on its emergency exit

However, when I switched on a Laser Egg air quality reader to find out just how effective the bus’ tech was, I was surprised to see that the index never fell below 200 throughout the ride. The pollutant level shot up to 250 or more when the doors opened to allow new passengers onboard, which should be expected, but when the doors hissed shut in what sounded like a protective seal, the reading only went down to around 225, and rarely dipping below that. It certainly never fell under the “moderate” AQI 50 level that the World Health Organization recommends, making the bus promotion behind the bus line misleading at best, seeing as passengers should still wear their pollution masks to keep their lungs safe while onboard, which contradicts positive media coverage and the cutesy, clean air cartoon signs emblazoned on the buses’ walls.

More vents for ciculation appeared to be peppered along the walls, which also featured cutesy images of passengers in a green city boarding the bus

That said, it’s farfetched to expect much else from a bus that opens its doors regularly to take on passengers during a run, and even more of a pipe dream for administrators to imply a vehicle could pull such a feat off. Liam Bates, founder of the Kaiterra startup (formerly Origins) that designed and sells the Laser Egg AQI monitor, says, “Electric buses are great – though you should look into how the electricity is generated – and purifying vehicles are great too.” However, he’s quick to point out: “It’s really hard to purify a space like that. You’d need a ton of power, and a very very strong purifier. Like 20 large Blueairs!”

Despite the hype and the high tech appearance of the bus, always stayed well above 200 throughout our ride from Guomao to Tiananmen

Liam’s skepticism was echoed by Charlie Thomson, the owner at the Environment Assured home AQI assessment service, who says: “Whether in a building or in a vehicle, simply having air filtration equipment in place does not guarantee clean air. Both the equipment use patterns and the operating conditions will greatly affect the results of the system. In a bus, the constant opening and closing of doors makes it extremely difficult to control the air quality.” He adds that there are some potential solutions to the issue, such as positive pressure filtration, along with built-in monitoring of PM2.5s to show how efficient the system is working.

But such sophisticated features don’t appear to be in place on the Gongjiaoyilu bus. Johannes Lauesen, the CEO at Climatech (a developer and producer of air purifiers and positive pressure purifiers) says, “At first glance, I do not see that they have enough capacity for a city bus. A school bus, for example, could have a reasonably weak, 1-2000M3/h or so, cleaner to keep it clean. But a city bus would need to be able to replace all the air in the bus every 10 minutes to keep up.”

Lauesen goes on to explain some of the key issues inherent in keeping pollutants from riding along with you on a public bus: “The issue is that people and doors act as ‘pumps’ moving most of the air in and out of the bus at every stop. Another issue is if the clean air is not distributed properly, then it will only be a few bubbles that will be very clean. Just imagine how much air comes in the leaky doors while driving … Seeing the images of the ‘cleaner,’ it looks like a 500-1000 M3/h cleaner and that is far less than what is needed in such a dynamic environment.”

At Tiananmen I disembarked, to a smoggy outdoor setting that wasn’t much worse than the bus that had been billed to protect the other passengers and I. It quickly sped off and dissapeared into the haze

Although there’s the slight possibility the purifiers weren’t fully operational that day, or that they are still working out some bugs. But that’s still problematic because it indicates the purifiers are more window dressing than anything (why tout that feature in state media and then not have it ready when people hop aboard?). And it doesn’t address the problems of breaking the seal, and needing massive, and therefore probably quite large, purifiers to keep the interior smog-free.

All that said, what would be a better alternative to a transit system that overpromises with purifiers that fall short? When asked if stocking buses with pollution face masks instead of puny purifiers and doors that let the smog seep in, Lauesen admitted he’s “not sure. To be honest, I really like the idea of clean air in the bus and on all public forms of transportation. Masks just aren’t the same.”

That point makes the new buses all the more disappointing to Lauesen, because the promise of truly PM2.5-free public transit is so very enticing. “Basically they should have done some testing and maybe even used something like the air curtains in shopping malls at the doors. In my eyes, masks are for general outdoor activity, and having the chance to take them off on the bus, on the metro, and in a cab would be great.”

Photos: Xinhua, Kyle Mullin