Ah, springtime in Beijing. That brief but beautiful window in between the frigid winter and scorching summer when everything quite literally becomes a blur.
Speaking of windows, we hope you kept yours sealed shut yesterday if you were in Beijing, when the national capital was assailed by what has been described as its fiercest sandstorm in 13 years.
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Not only did the city's AQI go "Beyond Index" as PM10 readings hit a frankly ridiculous 1,000 (dozens of times more than the standard guideline provided by the World Health Organization), but strong winds of 75 kilometers per hour plus rainfall also combined to make this sandstorm one to remember - or at least tweet about vigorously.
Here's a video showing Beijing fade to black yellow yesterday evening:
Beijing's Meteorological Bureau upgraded its alert from blue to yellow as the day went on, forecasting visibility of less than 1,000 meters.
Playing on the words of the famous "It's Raining in Beijing" (Beijing Xiayule), this witty netizen used the thick layer of dust accumulated on a car's hood to write, "It's raining earth in Beijing" (Beijing xiatule).
A total of 11 provinces and regions were effected by yesterday's storm, and the National Meteorological Center now says that a strong cold front is due to sweep across the region imminently, bringing temperature drops of up to 12 degrees Celsius with strong winds. Well, at least the dust will all be blown away.
Encapsulating the thoughts of probably every bitter non-Beijinger alive, web user Max萬樹桃花月滿天 wrote that "Beijing has already been destroyed. Now, we call this city the 'capital' - but besides this title it is nothing." Well put, Max.
Still, Beijing's dusty days are still child's play compared to the sandstorms that turn Gansu Province into Tatooine every year.
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