【英语中国】国庆假期北京被雾霾笼罩

Tourists from across China swarmed into the capital of Beijing for the week-long National Day holiday that ends Monday, peaking with 1.1 million visitors on Thursday alone. But as the holiday headed into the weekend, a phenomenon familiar to all Beijingers cast a pall over the festivities.

'My nose and throat are protesting due to the heavy pollution over the past two days,'said one Weibo user who traveled in Beijing. 'People who dare to travel to Beijing must be from the death squad.'

The air monitor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, which tracks air quality based on readings of small, health-threatening particulates known as PM2.5, showed its air-quality index surpassing the 400 level several times. The readings showed the index reached 430 at 1 a.m. Saturday, after peaking at 436 at Friday night. Readings above 300 on the index are considered 'hazardous.'

'It is such a mistake to choose to travel to Beijing this vacation,' said another Weibo user, who added, 'basically I should not go out at all.'

Local media reported that one of the biggest attractions in Beijing this Holiday, the newly arrived Big Yellow Duck by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, attracted over 300,000 visitors to Beijing's Summer Palace. But the highly congested pollutants blurred images of the spectacle.

Many posted pictures online showing Beijing's fetid air quality. 'Beijing's Golden Autumn,' said Wang Ran, CEO of investment bank China eCapital Corp., on his verified Weibo account, with a photo of a foggy scene that barely shows anything.

The high level of pollution caused flight delays and traffic snags. China Southern Airlines reported changes to eight Beijing-heading flights on its verified Weibo account, while Air China reported cancellations of over 10 Beijing-involved flights Sunday afternoon. State-run China Central Television reported that several express ways to Beijing had been blocked due to heavy smog Sunday morning.

'I always suggested to foreigners that they had better travel in Beijing during autumn as it is its best season,' commented a Weibo user under Mr. Wang's post.'But from now on I should not say such nonsense irresponsibly.'

'The gray sky is a warning: blue sky, white cloud, fresh air: the most scarce resources are these simplest things,' wrote the People' Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, in its verified Weibo account, which posted a picture of a big screen showing a blue sky standing against a polluted backdrop in Tiananmen Square.

The pollution also drew concern in the sports field. Bai Yansong, a prominent CCTV anchor, suggested the outdoor sports games in Beijing be suspended. 'Are sports that hurt people's health really worth it?' Mr. Bai asked in his online column a week ago, when the pollution level was already beginning to rise.

Mr. Bai said the pollution could hurt athletes and spectators alike at this week's China Open tennis event as well as regularly scheduled soccer games. His suggestion won support from 95% of over 4,000 respondents to his article.

Associated Press 周日，北京街头，一名妇女戴着防护口罩。
来自中国各地的游客在为期一周的国庆长假期间涌入首都北京，仅在周四一天进京游客就达到了110万人的峰值。但随着长假进入周末，北京居民熟悉的雾霾天为这种欢庆气氛蒙上阴影。周一是国庆节长假的最后一天。

一位进京旅游的微博用户说，过去两天由于污染严重，我的鼻子和嗓子一直在抗议，敢来北京旅游的人一定都是敢死队的。

美国驻北京大使馆的空气监测站显示，空气质量指数数次超过了400。上周六凌晨1点，该指数触及430，上周五晚间一度触及436的峰值。该指数超过300被视为“有害”。该空气监测站基于细小有害颗粒物PM2.5的数值来追踪空气质量。

另一位微博用户说，这个假期选择到北京旅游是个错误，我根本就不该出门。

当地媒体报道称，长假期间北京最有吸引力的景点之一——抵达北京不久的荷兰艺术家霍夫曼(Florentijn Hofman)的作品大黄鸭吸引了逾30万名游客来到北京颐和园。但重度污染令这只大黄鸭变得模糊。

许多人在网上发布了显示北京糟糕的空气状况的照片。投资银行易凯资本有限公司(China eCapital Corp.)的首席执行长王冉在他的微博账户上发布了一张基本看不清任何东西的雾霾景象照片，并写道，北京的金秋。

重度污染导致航班延误，并使交通受到影响。南方航空(China Southern Airlines)在其认证微博上发布了飞往北京的八个航班的调整信息。中国国航(Air China)宣布取消周日下午逾10个涉及北京的航班。中央电视台(China Central Television)报道称，周日早间通往北京的多条高速公路受雾霾天气影响已被封闭。

一位对王冉的微博发表评论的微博用户说，每每碰上老外问北京旅游的时候，我都热情推荐说秋天是北京最好的季节，以后我可不能这么不负责任地胡说八道了。

中共喉舌《人民日报》在其认证微博账户上说，灰色天空是警醒：蓝天白云，清新空气，最稀缺的资源恰是这些最简单的东西。这条微博还发布了一张照片，照片上显示在污染严重的天安门广场上一个巨大的屏幕展示出一张蓝天白云的图片。

空气污染也引发了对体育赛事的担忧。中央电视台知名主持人白岩松建议北京的户外体育比赛应当暂停。白岩松一周前在污染水平已经开始上升之际在他的网上专栏中问道，以损伤健康为代价的运动有价值吗？

白岩松说，在本周的中国网球公开赛和足球联赛中，污染同样可能损害运动员和观众的健康。对他的这篇文章发表评论的逾4,000人中，有95%的人对他的建议表示支持。