Spring Is in the Air
Springtime has plenty to offer including warm weather and a bit more green in the city, but it’s also a time when the skies are not so friendly. Now that the chill is out of the air, it's time to watch out for pollen, fluff, sandstorms and kites.
The most benign, and largest, of the springtime air pollutants are the kites. These colorful, flapping bits of fabric are harmless unless you get run over by a kid trying to keep the kite afloat or get hit by a rogue flyer. If you want to know where to go fly a kite (or where to avoid them), check out the Kite and Spring Flowers Festival at Taoranting Park. It will last until May 3 and where an estimated 2,000 kites will take to the air during that time.
Get ready for trees to blossom and come to life and bring in allergy season as well. Sniffling and sneezing are the price to pay as parks come to life. While most allergy sufferers have long ago worked out exactly what medications work best for them, those interested in trying something new can check out some TCM alternatives to balance out their qi.
One of the most iconic sights of Beijing's spring – other than the emerging male bellies – is the city’s spring snow. The white fluff that clouds the air is another type of pollen but its visibility puts it in a category unto itself. Prepare to the white stuff to start appearing in late April as the poplar trees bloom and again in May when the willows create another round of fluff.
Finally, we're left to deal with sandstorms that have the ability to turn daytime into a apocalyptic scene and coat everything and everyone with a coat of dust and dirt. Beijing was graced with its first storm of the season when an unexpected cloud of dust blew through the city at the end of March. PM10 readings spiked in the later night hours as the sand blanketed the city. From that incident we also found out that fog/smog isn’t the only terminology that meteorologists like to split hairs over; add "sandstorms" versus "blowing-sand" to that list. Meteorologists claim the Friday evening occurrence was "blowing-sand," which is why a sandstorm was not forecast earlier in the day.
Photo: mirror.co.uk, peopledaily.com.cn
