Regarding li qiu, a friend was actually just asking me some questions about that and was preparing to publish some research findings along the lines of your question. If I see her final report I’ll let you know.

Cool post. I have to say I’ve been avoiding this subject since the haze blew in, and the dust started getting in my eyes as I ride down the street again…

Call me cynical, but I think on Septemeber 21, things will start going back to the way they were. As you and others have said, cars aren’t even the biggest source of junky air quality that can be seen around Beijing.

A lot of it has to do with construction – and construction-related vehicles at night (remember Beijing’s air quality is historically worst at 2:30am?). And factories, etc. I think it’s easy for pundits to say that factories will need to demonstrate pollution control wisdom before they can reopen, but as soon as that starts affecting people’s ability to earn a living, that will quickly fall to the wayside as it even does in our own countries (different situation at home, but same phenomenon). Are factory owners willing to increase their costs so much, especially after losing 2 months of profit-earning work?

I’m not sure if you ever covered it in your blog, but on the Chinese calendar, August the 7th (solar) just happened to be July 7th (lunar) which also just happens to be the first day of “li qiu” – the beginning of autumn. Anyway, the “Origins of Chinese Science and Technology” by Chunjiang Fu, et al, for example, explain that after that day in the lunar calendar, temperatures start to cool.

Could the weather (which we see every year in Beijing) have been helped along significantly by the simple fact that autumn came along? Mid-autumn festival is just around the corner now!

Or maybe I’m just superstitious and crazy?