This screenshot of real-time Beijing air quality readings as seen on the iPhone/iPad application China Air Pollution Index comes to us by way of CNN's Steven Jiang. On Monday, the Air Quality Index in the capital was 234, or "very unhealthy", according to the US Embassy, but a mere 96 ("good") according to China's Ministry of Environmental Protection. more ›

Like ordering McDonald's at 3am, there's little doubt that breathing Shanghai's smog (or Shmog™, if you will) isn't healthy for us. But with so many myths, unhelpful statistics and outright lies floating around, it's difficult to determine the genuine health sacrifices we are making by living in a city which often resembles Mordor. To find clarity within the info-fog, we've gone and done the research for you, and the following is what you need to know. more ›

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For those of you who still think you're safe outside Beijing, researchers reported yesterday that downtown Shanghai's fog vapor harbors cancer-causing chemicals. Researchers at Fudan University found our fog to contain carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) at levels ranging 0.03 micrograms to 6.67 micrograms per liter. more ›

So apparently there were two pilots in the F-7 Flying Leopard fighter jet that went down yesterday in the Shaanxi air show. One made it, the other most likely didn't:

One of the two pilots ejected from the cockpit and deployed his parachute. But only one parachute was seen opening, and the plane, a two-seater JH-7 "Flying Leopard" jet, burst into flames as it crashed. more ›

CNNGo went around Shanghai's bars and clubs recently in a confusing article about air quality. Confusing namely because they said they're testing for the best and worst, but only six bars/clubs make the story and, really, the only one that got lambasted was The Shelter, which had a ppm ([thousand] parts per million of criteria pollutants) of 350. Regular air quality in Shanghai is 230 and the U.S. FDA says 150 is in the high end of the safe zone. Because we needed an air quality meter to tell us that it hurts to breathe in The Shelter. Anyway, apparently one of the best places to go for a breath of fresh air is Sin. But while your lungs will feel clean, can all the ventilation there stop your soul from feeling dirty? more ›

Naturally, we think that Shanghai beats Beijing in the better city competition, but here's some extra reasons why. The UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has found Shanghai's air quality to be far better than Beijing's, an auspicious ruling ahead of the Expo. The blue sky index shows that Beijing's levels of PM10 particles are twice as high as Shanghai's. more ›

Youku Buzz informs us that some entrepreneurial street vendors in Changsha, Hunan, are now selling fresh air from places like Inner Mongolia and Yangshuo at the really affordable rate of RMB50 per bottle. more ›