[bbuffone]

As a westerner in beijing, i think everyone is affected the same by air pollution, though the difference is the "choice" of being here vs. not.

You can see first hand the difference between the Beijing sky and that in Boston. http://sdrv.ms/10T8oof

I feel more depressed in the summer time when the air pollution is high. In the summer, the pollution feels smothering and then the oppressive heat of the city can be overwhelming.

In the winter Beijing somedays just feels smokey.

[seanmcdirmid]

Beijing summer high AQI is nowhere near winter high AQI! Summer, you have rain, wind, and all the nice stuff that blows out the pollution. Summers in Beijing just feel bad because its hot and muggy + some pollution mixed in.

We are all affected the same sure enough, but our* expectations might be higher since back home we think "90" is high, when in Beijing that is almost a clean air day. The rest of north and central China is pretty much the same, while the southerners and definitely the westerners (like, west of LanZhou) will complain about the AQI in Beijing just as much as the foreigners do.

* There are many countries with problems as bad or worse than China. If you come from one of those countries, then Beijing might not seem so bad.

[bbuffone]

Agreed, about the pollution levels. My personal view is that the summer is far more depressing (heat, muggy, pollution) then the air in the winter. After 3 years in beijing, most Beijing people talk about the pollution far less, than housing prices, getting a Beijing hukou...

[seanmcdirmid]

When we foreigners get together, we talk about pollution and the GFW since most of us don't hope to buy a house or get hukou :)