How changing seasons can mean life or death in one of China’s most polluted cities
The annual suffering of asthma patients in Xian underscores the scale of the challenge Xi Jinping faces in cleaning up the skies
Yan Qijiao sits contentedly with her eyes closed, head tilted towards the sky, on a wooden bench along Xian’s ancient city wall in China’s northwest.
It is not often that she can come outdoors to enjoy the warm spring sun, light blue skies and snatches of fresh air here in the capital of Shaanxi province.
It’s a lightly polluted day in Xian, according to the official air quality index, and the skyline in the distance is a smoggy grey, but at least Yan isn’t confined to her bed, struggling to breathe today.
The past winter was especially bad for the 79-year-old who suffers from severe asthma and has increasingly struggled during the coldest months of the year.
Despite efforts to switch from coal to gas for household heating, the authorities have struggled to ensure adequate gas supplies, which means many households still rely on the more polluting fuel to stay warm.
Yan’s condition became so serious that she was admitted into hospital twice in two months for respiration failure. She was hospitalised for a total of 30 days and said she felt “like strangling myself” at times.
