3 Major Drawbacks to Living in Beijing (and China): Pollution, Traffic, Smoking
Picture out my window yesterday
I love Beijing and I love China, but sometime there are things that really make me wonder if living here is really the best idea. One morning I woke up and noticed that the air in my apartment had a slight white tint to it. I looked outside and this is what I saw. While everyone in the city swears that this is “fog”, I know better. Pollution has finally reached an all time high, and we’re being told that it’s fog. Right, it’s a fog of pollution that had me waking up this morning with black phlegm in my throat and a headache, then I spent the rest of the day coughing.
The picture above actually was the best day of the last 3. The buildings that you can see here actually disappeared today in what has been the absolute worst day in Beijing. Luckily the government decided to make it rain today to try to dissipate some of the pollution that has kept me inside this weekend, but I’m starting to wonder if these short-term solutions are going to be effective any longer.
In 2008, the government enacted restrictions on driving during the weekday, and in total banned nearly half of all cars from the road. That was enough to ease pressure on traffic and pollution in the city. Certain high polluters were shut down for a while as well.
The effects of these measures have run out. The growth of cars in Beijing has gotten to a point that is absolutely unsustainable. There is no such thing as “rush hour” traffic now – that lasts from 6:30am all the way until 11pm. I took a taxi the other day at 10:30 because I was late and it took me longer to get to work than if I had just taken the subway. A friend of mine’s boss bought a house a few years ago on the outskirts of the city and at the time it only took him 45 minutes to get to work; now it takes him nearly 2 hours to get to work.
The pollution levels from 2008 have come back with a vengeance, and I really hope they do something about it soon or I will be forced to leave. They can only lie to people for so long before action must be taken. I asked 5 different people today about what’s with all of the fog in the air, and they all quoted the news saying that it’s “fog caused by water in the air”. I’m pretty sure that mist on that large of a scale is only possible near a body of water, or maybe even near a mountain range or a forest. We have none of that, not to mention that it’s still not cold enough outside, even in the morning, to cause this to happen.
This, when combined with the sheer amount of smokers has made breathing in China nearly impossible. A survey was recently done that says that over 60% of males in Beijing smoke. Yes, 60%. 99.9% of males at the company I work smoke – I’m the only one that doesn’t. People smoke at work in the office, and you can’t tell them not to because they are the CEO and your manager. Smoking is a part of Chinese culture - cigarettes are offered as gifts. Smoking cigarettes is part of marriage ceremony. The first thing two business partners do is offer each other cigarettes. When you meet your girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s parents, you bring a box of cigarettes and a bottle of alcohol.
People smoke at soccer fields during halftime. They play 15 minutes, smoke for 2 minutes, then play another 15 minutes. Smoking is allowed in nearly all public places, including bars, clubs, and restaurants. Heck, even taxi drivers smoke in their cars. While walking on any street, or even standing in an elevator, you are very likely to be next to a smoker. I find myself spending a large amount of time running past smokers, or taking a different path – but in the end I still inhale enough second hand smoke to be consider a chain smoker.
You may be able to avoid smokers, but you can’t avoid traffic or pollution. While I’m a chain smoker from the smokers I’m around, I’m a double chain smoker when adding in the pollution in the city, then when adding in the dust from the massive amount of construction in the city and the dust storms in the spring, I’m a little afraid to see what’s become of my lungs over the past 4 years. It may be time to leave and recuperate for a while.
Beijing is an amazing city, and China is an amazing country. Those of you out there that are considering coming to China should know the entire story. Pollution, traffic, and smoking are a part of that story. How important that is is up to you to decide.
Related posts:
- When in Rome… do’s and don’ts.
- Dear Mr. Worry Wart (Is China Safe?!)
- The Real Cost of Study Abroad (Beijing, China Case Study)
- How to Rent an Apartment in Beijing, Comprehensive Guide
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Momoyee
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http://beyondbounds.org/ Jason Sharp
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Momoyee
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Chile_50
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http://beyondbounds.org/ Jason Sharp