The sky of China is dark because of pollution

The scene on a busy highway in Beijing City on January 11. Blind smoke has covered the Chinese capital since January 11. The rapid growth of the Chinese economy has caused air quality to decline sharply in recent years.

Many people in Beijing have to cover their mouths and noses every time they go out in the past days. Photo: EPA.

Health officials recommend that the elderly, children, people with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases should limit their exposure. Photo: EPA.

Vehicles move slowly on a bridge across the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province on January 13. Blind smoke makes drivers' visions plummet so they cannot drive fast. Photo: EPA.

Blind smoke covered Nanchang City, the administrative center of Jiangxi Province on January 14. Photo: Corbis.

A coal-fired thermal power plant on the river in Chongqing city on January 12. Photo: EPA.

The satellite image shows the haze covering eastern and central China on March 13. Photo: NASA.

Works on Tiananmen Square become more faded by haze. Photo: Rex Features.

Students learn how to wear masks properly to cope with the smoke at an elementary school in Anhui Province on January 13. Photo: Corbis.

The level of air pollution in Beijing City has far exceeded the safety level of the World Health Organization. Motor vehicle smoke and coal dust are the two biggest sources of pollution. Photo: EPA