Sad. I love -- _love_ -- that city, but I could never live there again, not breathing that.
and the price of international schools for your kids, right?
Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
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Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#12Is there a level of public outcry regarding the pollution?
I realize that criticism may be somewhat muted given the nature of the PRC government, but I can't imagine a city as large and cosmopolitan as Shanghai merely accepting this level of environmental mismanagement. Unfortunately, articles regarding Beijing/Shanghai pollution usually fail to mention public sentiment above the level of brief individual anecdote ("It's hard to breath on the way to the office" - Chinese citizen, etc.).
Perhaps someone local could provide some insight?
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#13I remember visiting Shanghai about 10 years ago. It was very vibrant and exciting, and there were cranes everywhere. I thought, "This is like being on the ground floor of a great new metropolis. Wouldn't it be awesome to work here?" I'm glad that things didn't work out that way. There are health consequences for such massive pollution.
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#14I feel thankful to be in Beijing. The AQI (air quality index) is only 202 (very unhealthy) here right now.
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#15I know someone over in China at the moment and they said that the pollution was so bad this morning that looking out of a window you couldn't see the building next it. Scary thought of how much damage that'd do to your lungs.
The air pollution levels are similar to living an airport smoking lounge.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-30/beijing-air-akin-to...
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#16I wonder how this compares to the worst smogs experienced in London and elsewhere before the West got its act together with regard to particulate pollution. Apparently the Great Smog of 1952 killed on the order of 10000 people in just a few days. I'm not sure many young people nowadays realize how horrible the situation was just half a century ago.
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#17Do you guys think this will spur china to jump ahead in greening/pollution reduction? It would be incredibly costly to do so ($$$), but incredibly costly not to (people).
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#18So why do people use those flimsy face masks instead of proper gas masks / carbon filters?
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#19So why do people use those flimsy face masks instead of proper gas masks / carbon filters?
Cost is a likely factor.
Re: Schoolchildren ordered indoors as air pollution cloaks Shanghai
#20I love China but pollution, the great firewall, and visa complications make it less attractive as somewhere to live.
Speaking as someone who lives in China...
The firewall won't bother you (assuming you wish to get around it); it's there for the masses.
Any idiot with a US citizenship can get a tourist visa, lasting a year and having only the requirement "visit Hong Kong (or any other non-China location) every three months" (I was unambitious, and got a two-month one). Someone of my acquaintance says he paid a visa-help company $1000 and got a business visa, good for a year and imposing no requirements.
I have, in the past, had a working visa; if that's what you want, it's generally done by your employer, not you.
Your "I love China" kind of leads me to believe you'd be familiar with this already... what kind of complications have you experienced?