Blue sky vanishes immediately after Beijing's massive parade

[Onkel Neal]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/04/asia/c...ade/index.html



Man, that's depressing. I wonder if there is a real way to fix this. Mass transit, of course, but I'm sure China is trying. Also, what did everyone do for the two weeks the cars were not allowed?

Starting late August, Beijing enjoyed a rare string of continuously clear days as authorities took drastic action to ensure an azure backdrop for the largest parade it's ever held -- a showcase marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II.

Hundreds of factories were shut during this time, while half of Beijing's five million registered cars were banned from the streets.

It worked. On the morning of the parade, the air quality index -- an international standard for measuring the severity of air pollution -- dipped to a pristine 17 out of 500, signifying very healthy air.

Excited Beijingers coined the unusually blue skies "parade blue."

But now the cars are back and the city is back to "Beijing gray."