霾 (smog)

Today is the most boring day in the trip. Smog stayed all day in Beijing. It didn't take an expert or experienced resident to tell. In the morning I saw the foggy scene and instantly felt that it is not our common fog, --something just wasn't right. My mother-in-law told me that it is now called 霾 (mai).

So we stayed home all day, except for a dinner with my wife's relatives. By then, the air still didn't smell right. Hopefully it won't stay long.

Speaking of pollutions, it is different here from Changsha. Changsha, like all middle to big cities in China, is heavily polluted. To some extent, it is worse than Beijing and the air quality is always bad, except... Well, in the south, there are plenty of rainfall that helps. Even in the deadiest winter, it still has a relative humidity of 50-80%! It is not so lucky in Beijing, where smog and sandstorms are part of life, even with herculean efforts undergoing for the 2008 Olympics.

If it is still bad tomorrow, we'll try to find some indoor activities for Will.