This is so sad. The implications for the progress of China are enormous. I visited China in 2007, one year before the Beijing Olympics. They were already trying to curb the pollution so the athletes could practice. The day after we landed, I started coughing and my throat was sore. I thought I was developing a cold. I wasn't. We were in Beijing for about a week and never saw the sky while we were in the city. How depressing that must be, although maybe people get used to it. They are trying. Next time you get out and look up, be glad you live in a place where you can still see the sky. Now what about this:Beijing 2022 was a successful bid by Beijing, China and the Chinese Olympic Committee for the 2022 Winter Olympics.[1] The IOC selected the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31, 2015, which Beijing won. This makes Beijing the first city to host both Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
from Wikipedia
Earlier this year Beijing announced they are closing the major coal power plants in the city. This article doesn't talk about it, but the concern is the power generation will just be moved to more rural coal plants. On one hand it is likely to help Beijing, but on the other hand it has a good chance of making everywhere else a little worse. China seems to be in a really tough situation. They need to keep growing and can't build other forms of generation fast enough.