The big smoke

"Masks and air purifiers have become common life necessities."

Waking up in my bedroom, my mouth was dry and I felt a tickle in my throat. Without even looking at the sky out of the window, I intuitively sensed that Beijing was having another of its bad air-quality days.

My wife checked an application on her smartphone showing the air quality index (AQI) of Beijing.

“We should wear face masks and not take our children outdoors today,” she said with a deep sigh. Then she raised the strength level of the air purifiers in our bedrooms and living room.

It is the usual routine in our home whenever Beijing is besieged by heavy pollution. Sadly this happens many times a year. According to data released by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, the city enjoyed only 93 days of excellent air quality in 2014.

In the past, many Chinese thought a hazy day was just a day of bad weather. But as citizens have become more aware of the problems caused by the lingering air pollution, they have begun making lifestyle changes.

Masks and air purifiers have become common life necessities. Those who cannot afford expensive gadgets flock to workshops to learn how to make DIY versions using simple housing fans and filters.

Indoor playgrounds are now popular spots with parents who want to keep their children away from the bad air outdoors. Checking the AQI is as important as checking the weather report. Special masks with big filters, usually used by heavy industrial workers, have become one of the few choices available for joggers and cyclists.

A medical product vendor, Liu Ruiqiang, also once regarded a polluted day as just a bad weather day. He became concerned after his little daughter developed a respiratory problem that he believed was caused by polluted air. He studied the topic and became an expert on it.

Now he carries a very expensive and elaborate air pollution detector, measuring the air quality around him every hour during the times when Beijing’s air is heavily polluted. His new rule for his daughter is simple but strict: no outdoor activity on polluted days.

For some, the pollution has created new possibilities.

Chinese companies are busy launching new types of masks and the polluted air has given rise to a booming market in air purifiers as demand from consumers grows.

Fashion designer Chi Zhang, known for work reflecting concern about the capital’s air quality problems, has turned the embellished image of a gas mask into his trademark.

In Zhang’s fashion show, models wearing masks parade across a stage covered with dense fog. His creations are branded with “Fxxk Air Pollution”.

For artist Kong Ning, desire to have clean air sparked her artistic creativity. For her performance piece “Marry the Blue Sky”, Ning created a wedding dress decorated with 999 face masks. The 10-meter-long dress symbolises her frustration with the air pollution and her wish for China to have clean air.

To capture her art in pictures, we went to the front of the CCTV Tower, one of Beijing’s best-known landmarks. I was excited but also concerned that the police might stop us as air pollution is a sensitive issue for the Chinese government.

Unfolding the long wedding dress on the busy street was not easy, and we had to be quick. Ning brought a friend to help her get the wedding dress on; I chose a good spot to shoot from and didn’t forget to check for any policemen around us. Fortunately, we were able to finish our mission without being intercepted.