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<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n\nJul 3, 2014<\/small><\/p>\n
ECONOMY & BUSINESS<\/a><\/h2>\nWhen Air Quality in Beijing and Shanghai is Least Awful<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/si.wsj.net\/public\/resources\/images\/BN-DN068_tianan_G_20140702053018.jpg\")
<\/dt>\n- Chinese tourists wear facemasks during a visit to Tiananmen Square as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing.<\/dd>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
- Agence France-Presse\/Getty Images<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
What is the best time of year to avoid air pollution in Beijing?<\/p>\n
Some might say this is a trick question, given the notorious smog levels in China\u2019s capital. But thanks to an analysis by China Real Time, as the summer holiday gets underway, we can safely advise air-quality-minded tourists to stay away for the next couple months. Spring and fall are the best times to visit.<\/p>\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/si.wsj.net\/public\/resources\/images\/BN-DN478_bjbj_G_20140702221450.jpg\")
<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\nSmog has helped discourage tourism to Beijing over the past year, with the number of overseas tourists falling 10% in 2013 from 2012, the official Xinhua news agencyreported<\/a>\u00a0earlier this week, citing a paper authored by the Beijing Tourism Society. Among the reasons, Xinhua said, was air pollution.<\/p>\nTo produce our seasonal guide to Beijing air quality, CRT crunched\u00a0historical data<\/a>\u00a0on Beijing\u2019s air pollution from the U.S. State Department, which was gathered via a monitor installed at the U.S. Embassy in 2008. The State Department cautions the data hasn\u2019t been fully verified or validated, as the readings come from one isolated monitoring station that frequently broke down in its early days.<\/p>\nStill, they provide plenty of insights. Based on data collected for 47,563 hours between April 2008 and April 2014 \u2014 roughly 89% of the hours over the past six years \u2014 Beijing\u2019s annual concentration of tiny particulate matter, known as PM2.5, averages to 99 micrograms per cubic meter. That\u2019s more than eight times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s\u00a0annual standard<\/a>\u00a0of 12 micrograms per cubic meter. High concentrations of PM2.5 \u2014 particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in length \u2014 increases risks for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as\u00a0lung cancer<\/a>, according to the World Health Organization.<\/p>\nHowever, some months in Beijing are better than others. Our analysis shows that visitors can enjoy relatively \u201ccleaner\u201d air in May, which has an average concentration of 85 micrograms per cubic meter. Avoid February, which has an average concentration of 122 micrograms per cubic meter.<\/p>\n
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- <\/dt>\n
- Chinese tourists wear facemasks during a visit to Tiananmen Square as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing.<\/dd>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
- Agence France-Presse\/Getty Images<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
What is the best time of year to avoid air pollution in Beijing?<\/p>\n
Some might say this is a trick question, given the notorious smog levels in China\u2019s capital. But thanks to an analysis by China Real Time, as the summer holiday gets underway, we can safely advise air-quality-minded tourists to stay away for the next couple months. Spring and fall are the best times to visit.<\/p>\n
\n- \n
- <\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
Smog has helped discourage tourism to Beijing over the past year, with the number of overseas tourists falling 10% in 2013 from 2012, the official Xinhua news agencyreported<\/a>\u00a0earlier this week, citing a paper authored by the Beijing Tourism Society. Among the reasons, Xinhua said, was air pollution.<\/p>\n
To produce our seasonal guide to Beijing air quality, CRT crunched\u00a0historical data<\/a>\u00a0on Beijing\u2019s air pollution from the U.S. State Department, which was gathered via a monitor installed at the U.S. Embassy in 2008. The State Department cautions the data hasn\u2019t been fully verified or validated, as the readings come from one isolated monitoring station that frequently broke down in its early days.<\/p>\n
Still, they provide plenty of insights. Based on data collected for 47,563 hours between April 2008 and April 2014 \u2014 roughly 89% of the hours over the past six years \u2014 Beijing\u2019s annual concentration of tiny particulate matter, known as PM2.5, averages to 99 micrograms per cubic meter. That\u2019s more than eight times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s\u00a0annual standard<\/a>\u00a0of 12 micrograms per cubic meter. High concentrations of PM2.5 \u2014 particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in length \u2014 increases risks for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as\u00a0lung cancer<\/a>, according to the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n
However, some months in Beijing are better than others. Our analysis shows that visitors can enjoy relatively \u201ccleaner\u201d air in May, which has an average concentration of 85 micrograms per cubic meter. Avoid February, which has an average concentration of 122 micrograms per cubic meter.<\/p>\n
- Agence France-Presse\/Getty Images<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/si.wsj.net\/public\/resources\/images\/BN-DN479_shairp_G_20140702221912.jpg\")
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