Hubby & I would love to visit China - see the terracota warriors, the Great Wall, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing etc. = 1st time typical tourist sites. I've read on Fodors that Beijing has extremely poor air quality & I have breathing problems, including in high levels of air pollution. Would the other cities have the same air pollution problems as Beijing?

Anyone else have breathing problems & found a solution for visiting the typical sites desired for a first time tourist to China - such as a certain time of year, certain cities only, etc.?

Thanks, Julie

This is obviously anecdotal but .... we did not have a problem with Xi'an's air quality until we rode bikes on the city wall. Then our mouthes felt like dirt piles. Keep the exertion levels down.

Pollution problems vary from city to city, but there are others worse than Beijing. Sadly the pollution situation in China is catastrophic overall.

Spring winds clear Beijing's air considerably on some days, but occasionally also bring in sand from high ground just to the northwest, turning the atmosphere completely yellow (this is quite a sight).

Some argue that summer is better because less coal is being burned for heating (in the north of the country--in the south there is no heating), but brighter sunlight brings ozone problems, and anyway the really damaging particles are more industrial in origin.

Xi'an is noted for its pollution, and regularly has worse figures than Beijing (although truly independent, non-massaged figures are not available, so who knows?)

The situation in coastal locations tends to be better for obvious reasons, but nevertheless, flying into Shanghai from the Pacific the grey pall that hangs over the city become visible long before the plane lands, a long distance out to sea.

The result for most people over the short term is no more than a runny nose and sore eyes, but those with a medical condition should obtain hard figures for pm10s, pm20s, particulates in general, ozone, and so on where possible, and consult with medical authorities. Ignore anecdotes of the 'well I saw blue skies when I was there' variety, since it's typical levels you need to deal with, not accidental clemency (as during the Olympics), and some of the most damaging particulates are invisible. I'm no doctor, but if you are sensitive to pollution, China is one of the last places you should think of going. It's unlikely, however widely travelled you may be, that you've been anywhere that gets remotely near the pollution levels in much of China, much of the year (depending on who you read, 16 of the world's cities with the most air pollution are in China, although some of those are rust-belt metal-bashing places no tourist ever visits).

For a larger, more detailed picture of the situation across China, I hate to say it, but:

http://tinyurl.com/29jxcxs

It makes sorry reading.

If you want to risk it, go well supplied with familiar remedies, whether prescription or obtained over the counter, reflect that if it all becomes too much then staying indoors on the worst days may bring some relief (although that is hardly the ideal way to spend a holiday), and pray for lucky winds. Look into face masks with filters--they're not that common a sight, but you'll be stared at just for being foreign anyway, and health should come before caring what anyone else thinks.

Peter N-H

That should have read, '16 out of the 20 cities in the world with the most air pollution are in China.'

Sorry, two more points: The suggestion that you ignore anecdotes was not directed specifically at the post that came in as I was typing mine. And the advice to avoid exertion is precisely the advice given for sensitive groups when levels rise. To some extent that isn't inimical with seeing the sights: it just means taking taxis. Unfortunately, as you'll see from

http://twitter.com/beijingair

pollution in some larger cities spends most of its time in the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' category or worse.

Peter N-H

Thanks to both of you. I was so afraid that we already knew the answers you gave! Guess we will look into a trip to Russia - that is second of our most wanted trip list.

Julie