As I left my apartment this morning, something bright and ray-like hit me square in the head. It took me a second to realize that what I was experiencing was the sun, a celestial phenomenon I've not seen in the week that I've been in Beijing.
Sculptures on the Olympic Green are shrouded in smog on the opening day of the Games. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)
The clear(er) sky was a welcome change following two nights of hard rain and days of smog-choked skies. China had heavily cloud seeded the area around the capital to prevent rain from ruining the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. It worked, the celebration was h2o free, but the last few wet days have more than made up for it.
It's worth highlighting the many air-quality experiments that visiting journalists and bloggers have set up online for the Beijing Games.
Finally, my colleagues from About.com have also been busy. Our Green Living Guide Courtney Curtis has a great photo gallery of the Bejing skies and our Environmental Issues guide Larry West has some answers to all the questions you've ever had about to smog. Did you know for instance, that smog is a combination of the words smoke and fog?
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this rare sunny day in Beijing.
Comments
I chuckled when I read your post. I travel to China several times a year and have watched the Olympic weather on television with interest. I never knew the mountains could be seen from the city! I stay close to the Olympic Green location, just south of the 3rd Ring Road and the mountains, blue skies, and clouds were my conversation topics when the rest of my family discussed the games!