Beijing's Red Alert For Smog Rekindles Anger And Confusion

Families in Beijing waited anxiously on Monday evening to hear whether schools would shut the next day, posing sudden child-care challenges, after the city issued its first-ever red alert for heavy smog about 6:30 p.m., advising school closures in an effort to protect students' health and reduce traffic on the roads, among other measures.

Finally, around 10 p.m., teachers at one prominent Beijing elementary school contacted parents on WeChat, the Chinese messaging app: The city's education commission had ordered schools to close for three days.

"At last. I've been waiting," responded a mother with the WeChat handle "haohao."

China's air pollution problem is a focus of considerable anger. Despite the significance of the city's first red alert, the smog this week is not the worst the city has seen this year. Days of heavy smog starting in late November produced levels over 500, or "beyond index." The United States Embassy's air-quality index in Beijing recorded 367 at 1 p.m. Tuesday, a level rated as "hazardous at 24-hour exposure," with readings earlier on Tuesday registering about 290.

Also on Tuesday morning, other cities in the surrounding province of Hebei and across the North China Plain recorded readings around 500, or "severely polluted," according to a Chinese government air-quality index.

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But an attempt by a major news portal to put the situation in context - by comparing Beijing with another smog-ridden city, New Delhi, the capital of India - appeared to backfire.

"Smog Capital: New Delhi Is Surpassing Beijing," the headline of a story on Tencent News said. It drew on reporting of the problem by overseas news outlets, noting Deutsche Welle, the German state broadcaster, as a source.

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"In the list of most polluted cities in the world, New Delhi is surpassing Beijing," it said. "In China's capital, residents' awareness of air quality has risen markedly and the government has taken measures to bring it under control. But New Delhi is only just beginning to realize the seriousness of the problem."

On Tuesday morning, pollution in New Delhi was around 420, according to the U.S. Embassy's air-quality index. The U.S. government rates 301 to 500 as "hazardous."

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The story drew about 3,000 comments, but rather than feeling comforted, many people were annoyed.

"Don't darn well talk about other people, our own pollution is worse than others' and you still dare to talk like this!" said Wu Chenggang.

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"So we're second in the world. That's really great," said a person who gave only one name, Ming.

"What an honor," said Pai Huazi.

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"This is embarrassing. Our own buttocks are showing and we're making fun of someone's flowery underpants?" said Datoubing.

"It's like when your kid does badly at an exam and you say, 'There are others that did worse!' Be prouder. Compare yourselves to those who are doing better," said Yuxiaoyu.