Thursday, August 28, 2008

Air Pollution


Xi'an is a very industrial city. When we first arrived we were taken aback by the air quality. I have traveled to some of the world's largest cities including Sao Paulo, Istanbul, and Mexico City, but I have never encountered air so thick with smog. It is even considered bad compared to other major Chinese cities. On a bad day it feels like you're in the vicinity of a forest fire. Xi'an owes this distinction to it's location in the Loess Plateau, an area covered by fine particulate silt, in combination with it's highly industrial economy.

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