The pollution in Beijing (it is the worst affected city but it is probably quite bad in other Chinese cities) is so bad that readings are off the chart. The smog (smoke plus fog) is so nasty that it can be seen from space and people are dying due to breathing problems. Similar conditions are also being reported in parts of India, where unregulated and uncontrolled industrialization like China, is causing air quality to be so low, that it is no longer healthy for any form of life (together the two countries have more than 2 billion people, though). Don't lose heart, my friends in China and India, and stupid tourists who are still visiting these two countries, because Chen Guangbiao will sell you clean air in a can for 80 cents. If you are dying from breathing the unbreathable air, just pop open the can and you can hope to live for a few hours more.
My Life In Bits And Pieces in Massachusetts.