Category: Pollution

The top picture was taken this morning and the bottom one was taken four days ago. Notice something different? Yeah, that’s not exactly fog in the top picture but rather the effects of increased pollution.

Pollution can be caused by many factors:

• Vehicle exhaust
• Fires burning wood, plants
• Dust kicked up by winds or heavy construction
• Factory exhaust

While not a complete list, those are some of the factors that prevented me from seeing the typical beautiful view from my apartment this morning.

Pollution levels can be measured by equipment. China does measure the levels across many areas in the country and updates those values multiple times a day. When the top picture was taken this morning, the pollution level was only measured at 172, a value associated as moderately polluted. I wrote only in italics as levels climbed above 200 in the late morning today, reaching the level of heavily polluted. For a reference value, the bottom picture was taken in a day when the AQI, air quality index, was in the 40s.

There is almost always a haze in the air here, best seen at night when street lamps and car lights seem to reflect more of the particulate material floating in the air than what natural sunlight does.

Not all is bad, however, with the pollution level today: by the time I got around to writing this blog post the readings we’re back down to the 70s. I’m guessing the wind either picked up a hit or factories proactively shut down some operations to help decrease the problem. In any case, I’m definitely happier than I was this morning!

It’s been said the winter months are the worst ones for air pollution in China. With more fossil fuels being burned for great and people hopping into vehicles for getting around instead of walking or using e-bikes, it does make sense.

Today is not a good air quality day in Suzhou. In fact, I believe it’s the worst day since arriving in June. Sure, there’s been a few “lightly polluted” days in the past but today just feels worse than those as a headache set in from the time I woke up this morning, one very similar to an allergy induced headache/the kind that don’t really go away as the day progresses.

The pollution levels can be tracked on a website, but you have to know where each city is a they do not show them graphically on a map.

It’s definitely time to buy some plants for my apartment and start looking at air purifiers for the home!

On the positive side, the air is still clean enough where the moon was quite visible last night. When that orb can no longer be seen by crap in the air … Uggh, no thanks! I hope that never happens.

Day 4 – Exploring Times Square

The rains stopped and the pollution dropped to the lowest level since moving here…which means it’s a great day for a long urban hike and exploring a new part of Suzhou!

The view across Dushu Lake （独墅湖）without pollution, just normal, fluffy clouds!

According to the map, it would be a 4.5mi/7.2km walk from my apartment to Times Square, almost a straight shot up Xinghu Street (星湖街), which is a pretty major thoroughfare but it does have separated sidewalks. So why not!

Along the way there was some nice public art installations, including a tribute to Albert Einstein which proves that math *is* the universal language!

Times Square is a fairly nice, if not bougie, part of the city. Lots of restaurants and cafes of varying prices, an art museum, events center, iMax movie theater, and both an indoor and outdoor mall with tons of shops. I even found a pair of hair clippers in the mall for 460rmb, which was twice the price I’d expect to pay so I passed them by.

This area of Suzhou features what I would call the iconic building of the city. You can see it in the picture after a few more paragraphs below. Apparently it may be called East Door Exhibition Center (东门展览中心, though a few characters are missing from that translation). As it’s across the Jinji Lake (金鸡湖), and it’ll be explored another day.

Overall impressions of Times Square:

• Seems to attract a lot of tourists, but not nearly as many as the NYC version
• Plenty of restaurants and shops to keep one busy
• Being a subway stop is nice
• Would be a long commute, ~ 1 hour, to get to work each way via bus (a transfer would be involved) or subway (at least one transfer)

I’d love to see this place at night as I have a feeling it will be lit up beautifully! Also, once it’s open, I’d love to visit that new W hotel near the East Door Exhibition Center; I do love me some W hotness! (It’s the smallest of the three “stair step” looking buildings over my right shoulder.)

Today’s word of the day is what will help me get home from here: 地铁 (dìtiě), meaning subway.