A woman uses her hand to cover her face on Tuesday, the first day of Beijing's smog red alert.
On Tuesday, China's capital felt the effects of the new restrictions around its
air pollution red alert.
The red alert — the most serious warning on a four-tier system — is the first time the country has sounded the alarm for air pollution at this level of severity, but it seems plenty of people continued to go about their routines.
Cities like Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei in Northern China have been particularly badly hit, in part due to their proximity to the many coal-burning factories in the region.
Under the red alert, Beijing's private cars will only be allowed on the streets on alternating days, with the aim of halving the traffic on the streets. Schools, factories and construction sites are ordered shut, while businesses are instructed to have flexible working hours so some employees can stay home instead of travelling to the office.
But while lots of people on Weibo said they were making plans to stay in to avoid the smog for the next few days, many ignored the official warnings to spend less time outside.
In this photo posted by China National Radio on its Weibo, it shows a policeman removing a sticker on a car's licence plate used to obscure whether it is an even or odd number.
IMAGE: CNR WEIBO
Reuters reports that hundreds of people, including toddlers, stood in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to watch the flag-raising ceremony on Tuesday morning.
And despite the traffic restrictions, this photo from a Beijinger shows a traffic pile up on the streets on Tuesday:
IMAGE: WEIBO
IMAGE: GOH CHAI HIN/AFP
IMAGE: GETTY
IMAGE: ANDY WONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS
On Tuesday, the phrase "the smog is back again" (雾霾又双叒叕来了) was trending on Weibo. The phrase includes a play on the word "again," and expresses people's frustration with the perennial air pollution in the region, literally translating to "the smog is back again, again, again, again."
