Report claims Beijing has been plagued by smog since ancient times

Did you know? Despite a disgusting lack of factories, automobiles and even computers (even computers!), ancient Beijing had smog.

It’s true—a report recently issued by Chinese news agency Phoenix News traces Beijing’s smog back to the dust storms that occurred in early Chinese history. Because there were no monitoring devices for dust/PM2.5 levels, these storms could even have been worse than the pollution Beijing experiences today. Anything is possible, Phoenix News asserts.

The report ignores the scientific and semantic differences between smog and haze, and picks apart weather patterns mentioned in texts dating to the Ming and Yuan dynasties.

PROOF: 

According to the “History of the Yuan Dynasty,” published in March 1329, no snow for two winters, and a lack of rain that spring, left Beijing coated in “rain, soil, haze.”

In 1481, records from the Ming Dynasty, state that “blustery days, dust haze Dadu (Beijing).”

In 1493, “capital, rain, haze.”

In 1548, "the first month, the capital (experienced) windy haze."

All ancient slang for airpocalypse.

So, smog existed in Beijing’s Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Mei banfa - nothing can be done about an environmental problem that's indigenous. Citizens and local governments should breathe easy - all are absolved of responsibility to try and lower Beijing's pollution levels.