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Comment by insane_dreamer | Hacker News Reader

We were living in Beijing when that happened, and you cannot underestimate the impact that it had. It ultimately forced the Chinese government to publish the actual air quality data which in turn forced it to take significant action to improve air quality in Beijing.

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Same. One thing I remember was that Twitter (where the data was reported) got blocked at about the same time. 2010 was a bit nuts. The government tried to explain it away that the area near liangmaqiao was especially bad for Beijing, which was hilarious.

It didn’t actually get that much better when we left in August 2016, but I hear it is much better today. Also, anyone can buy an AQI sensor of Amazon these days for $90, so it’s difficult to keep AQI readings under wraps

We left exactly a year after you did and I’d say that it was somewhat better than in the early 2010s. There were still really bad days, but fewer of them. Also depended on which part of Beijing (we were near Beida).

I worked near PKU (Microsoft China) and lived in Chaoyang (Sanyuan Xiqiao/Tuanjiehu), but I really don't see how Haidian and Chaoyang were very different in AQI. We ultimately left because my wife got pregnant and the air still wasn't clean enough for a baby. I remember every night in the winter when we decided to or not to go for a walk at night based on the current AQI reading (come on honey, its only 200 2.5 pmi tonight!), so I feel like it didn't really get better in the winter, or maybe I was just fixating on it given our circumstances.

> come on honey, its only 200 2.5 pmi tonight!

Totally relate. We also left because of our young kids; we couldn’t continue exposing them to that terrible air (we made the decision to leave in the summer 2016 but it took must a year). Also by then it had become crystal clear the direction China was going with Xi and l wanted not part of it or to raise my kids in that kind of society, even as foreigners. Ironically I came back to the US in time for Trump (it’s not nearly as bad of course but Trump 2.0 is heading that way).

I left just before the 2016 election, telling my Chinese colleagues that Trump wasn’t going to get elected. Sigh.

Do you think Beijing will stop publishing actual and correct air quality data now?

If there is no other source of truth it's easier for the government to change the data rather than the actual air quality.

Everyone and their dog has air purifiers that measure AQI and PM2.5 in Chinese cities now.

They already do, in a sense. The scale used here is different from the internationally used and the categories imply lesser health effects.

To be slightly more specific, Chinese authorities consider PM2.5 levels of ≤70 mcg/m³ as safe, while by EU standards that same pollution level is considered "extreme".

The WHO yearly recommended limit is 5 mcg/m³, by the way.

To give you an idea of the difference in perception. When we lived in Beijing, anything below 150 mcg/m3 was a "good day", <50 was "amazing". We didn't start taking any precautions like closing windows until it was >250. We stayed indoors when it was >400 or >500.

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