The slightly playful term "Beijing Cough" has been circulating among foreigners for over a decade, and recently, it was even formally written into travel guides. Simply put, "Beijing Cough" is a reaction similar to not being able to adjust to a new environment, referring to the involuntary coughing some people experience after arriving in Beijing, which naturally disappears after they leave. For people who have long lived in Beijing, it seems they are not aware of the "Beijing Cough," but when a country's capital is labeled with such a teasing term, it reflects more than just environmental issues.
Pollution is the root of Beijing Cough; eating less barbecue can help
"Beijing Cough" is also a cough
"Red walls, green tiles, hutong courtyards, the charm of an ancient city..." said Leon, a 29-year-old American. He had always had a beautiful dream of Beijing before he came. In July 2012, he came to Beijing as an exchange student to pursue a master's degree. Initially, Leon, just as he did in the U.S., insisted on running 5 kilometers around the school every morning. After a week, he found himself coughing involuntarily, a few times during the day and waking up coughing in the middle of the night.
In conversations with friends, Leon discovered that many people who had just come to Beijing from abroad would go through this coughing process, with the symptoms being more severe from December to April. Friends reminded him to always wear a mask when going out and not to run along the roadside in the early morning.
"It's not just foreigners; there are more and more people around us coughing," said Li, an older sister who works as a traffic coordinator near the Sihui Transportation Hub in Beijing. "During the change of seasons, coughing sounds rise and fall among the people waiting for buses. Coughing and coughing, and then someone spits phlegm onto the ground." Li pointed to the ground next to the bus stop sign, in the corners, and by the trash cans, all of which were covered in sputum stains.
Mr. Zhang, who often travels within the country, also felt the "Beijing Cough." "Every time I come to Beijing, as soon as I get off the plane, I can feel a strange smell in the air, followed by a sore throat," Mr. Zhang said. "Because my time in Beijing is short each time, although I don't have a continuous cough, my nostrils are always full of dust."
Upon checking materials, reporters found that the term "Beijing Cough" has a long history. In 1990, an article published in the magazine of Rotary International stated: "The phenomenon of air pollution, once a major city problem in industrialized countries, has now spread worldwide... In Beijing, respiratory diseases caused by air pollution are very common and are called 'Beijing Cough'."
Although most Chinese people are still not familiar with the concept of "Beijing Cough," environmental experts such as Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Research in Beijing, and Peng Yingdeng, director of the Atmospheric Department of the Beijing Municipal Academy of Environmental Protection, are not unfamiliar with this term.
In the medical field, clinicians have varying attitudes towards this term. Liu Youning, director of the Respiratory Diseases Research Institute of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, said: "This is not a medical term, nor an academic concept. There is no definition, no syndrome; it is purely made up by foreigners."
Wang Jinglan, director of the Respiratory Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated that "Beijing Cough" can be considered a disease. It is a form of airway hyperreactivity, where the airways contract in response to a certain stimulus, manifesting as coughing, chest tightness, asthma, etc.
Dryness and pollution are the root causes
Dry climate. "Beijing has a temperate monsoon climate with relatively little rainfall. Compared to some cities at home and abroad, Beijing is just too dry!" said environmental expert Peng Yingdeng. From 1961 to 1990, the average precipitation in Beijing in December was 2.3 mm, compared to 34.7 mm in Shanghai, 23.5 mm in Guangzhou, 86.9 mm in New York, 79 mm in London, and 39.6 mm in Tokyo. Professor Wang Jinglan of Peking Union Medical College Hospital added that Beijing is particularly dry in winter and spring, which is a high-incidence period for many respiratory diseases and, to some extent, also triggers coughing.
Air pollution. Environmental expert Peng Yingdeng stated that there is a gap in air quality between China and developed countries, especially in the concentration of inhalable particulate matter. The impact of air quality on the human respiratory system is significant, and foreigners may cough because they are not used to Beijing's air, which is a manifestation of the self-cleaning ability of the respiratory system. In winter and spring, Beijing is in the heating period, requiring a large amount of coal burning, which in turn produces a large amount of air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide. Coupled with dry and little rain, the air quality is worse than in other seasons. Professor Wang Jinglan of Peking Union Medical College Hospital added: "In winter and spring, there are often foggy days, and harmful substances in the air can easily affect the respiratory tract, causing discomfort or illness."
Bringing negative impacts to the capital
Just like Beijing roast duck, "Beijing Cough" has frequently appeared in travel guides in recent years. A travel guide in the U.S. warns tourists: "Many people complain about the 'Beijing Cough,' but we still don't know how to prevent it."
"It's a bit bitter to see foreigners label the thousand-year-old city of Beijing with the tag 'Beijing Cough,'" said Professor Xia Xueluan of the Department of Sociology at Peking University. "The problem of air pollution relates to the international image of Beijing and even China, and it may bring negative impacts to the government." Jack, an American who has lived in Beijing for two years, suggested that a mobile phone app should be designed that automatically books a flight out of China when the air pollution index reaches 200.
According to the reporter's understanding, Beijing's air pollution is the most serious among the five central cities in China. In the ranking of 1085 major cities worldwide in 2011, Beijing ranked 42nd from the bottom. Environmental expert Ma Jun said that the "Beijing Cough" does indeed affect the image of the capital, but at present, we should pay more attention to the health damage caused by air pollution to people living in Beijing.
Ke Huixing, deputy director of the Respiratory Department of Beijing Hospital, told reporters that air pollution can cause damage to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The "China's Environmental Status Bulletin" shows that for every doubling of the concentration of total suspended particulates in the atmosphere, the mortality rate from chronic obstructive respiratory diseases increases by 38%. Pan Xiaochuan, deputy director of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the School of Public Health at Peking University, believes that in addition to coughing, the increasing severity of environmental pollution will also increase the incidence of lung cancer. Data from the Beijing Office of Cancer Prevention and Control shows that in 2010, lung cancer ranked first among malignant tumors in the male registered population of Beijing. From 2001 to 2010, the incidence of lung cancer in Beijing increased by 56%.
Tackling pollution starts from small actions
"Pollution is a stage of development for a city and even a country." Professor Cui Jiushi of the Environmental Health Monitoring Institute of the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine said that just as a child grows up slowly, managing urban air pollution also requires this process.
In fact, the problem of air pollution is not only troubling China; it has also brought trouble to people in many industrially developed countries. Phenomena like "Beijing Cough" have also been experienced in developed countries abroad.
"The Foggy City" was once a synonym for London, UK. In the winter of 1952, London experienced a "Smog Event." In just 4 days, from the 5th to the 8th, the death toll reached 4,000. After the fog cleared, the British began to reflect on air pollution and spent half a century trying to shed the "Foggy City" label. In 1956, the UK promulgated the world's first air pollution prevention and control bill, stipulating that power plants in London must be shut down. In the following decades, the UK established clear penalties for exhaust emissions and reduced smoke and dust in the air by limiting the number of private cars. By 1975, the number of foggy days in London had been reduced from dozens per year to 15. In addition, Germany took more than 30 years and Japan more than 20 years to solve their air pollution problems.
Since 1979, environmental expert Cui Jiushi has been in charge of the "Global Environment Monitoring System" in China. "At that time, sulfur dioxide and total inhalable particulates were significantly exceeding standards, and the country immediately took measures to address it." Cui Jiushi recalled. Since the late 1970s, Beijing's efforts to control air pollution have never stopped, going through three stages: managing coal stoves, sandstorms, and increasing green areas.
Initially, coal burning was the primary source of air pollution in Beijing. To solve this problem, since 1999, 44,000 coal stoves in government units and schools in Beijing's urban areas have been converted to gas, causing the proportion of coal in the energy mix to continuously decline. Subsequently, Beijing has made large-scale adjustments to its industrial structure, shutting down or relocating more than 200 heavily polluting enterprises, including Shougang Steel. "The effect of the control is very significant," said environmental expert Cui Jiushi. By 2011, the number of days with air quality at or above the national Level 2 standard in the city reached 286 days, 186 more than in 1998.
"Currently, compared to ten years ago, Beijing's air pollution problem has undergone significant changes," said environmental expert Peng Yingdeng. Vehicle exhaust has become the primary factor in Beijing's air pollution. Environmental expert Ma Jun also believes that in recent years, the number of cars in Beijing has grown explosively. Although control has begun, the best opportunity has been missed, and the effects will not be immediate. However, to solve air pollution, we can start with small measures, such as increasing green areas in communities and public spaces, controlling dust from construction sites, managing large vehicles that transport soil, prohibiting the private burning of garbage and dead leaves in the suburbs, and lowering indoor temperatures during the heating period.
"Tackling air pollution is not entirely the government's responsibility; it also requires the participation of the public, starting with small things around us," said environmental expert Cui Jiushi. People can drive less, take public transportation more, eat less barbecue, and live a low-carbon life.
Moreover, environmental expert Peng Yingdeng stated that Beijing has established 35 air quality monitoring stations, which update data every hour. Residents can log on to the website of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to keep track of air pollutant concentrations at any time and adjust their travel plans. Until the pollution problem is thoroughly resolved, citizens can wear masks when going out, keep more green plants at home, and drink more water.