In Dailan, a place in Northeast China where I once studied as an exchange student, there were heaps of coal used in school heaters during the winter. At the time, I did not know that this coal and its dust were the culprits of the abundant soot I saw around. This was 15 years ago.

In old Beijing homes, coal briquettes were used for cooking and heat until recently. The smoke that resulted was simply released to the outside, polluting the sky. In fact, a blue sky was detected a scarce 100 days or so during the year 1998 in Beijing City. This situation lies behind such comments as "Air pollution blocks the blue sky" and the existence of the "Blue Sky Movement." Though the situation has seen improvement through planning, complaints voiced regarding air pollution have not stopped. With that, China's government has enacted control measure after control measure to try and bring about a "Beijing Olympics under blue skies."
 
First, a change has been made from familiar coal energy to natural gas. In 2007, Beijing City led the nation in the number of households using natural gas. In addition, the 132 companies that lie to the east of the city in Shandong have been notified that if they do not meet standards for pollutant emissions, they will be shut down during the Olympic Games.

Further, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau has mandated the shutting down of operations or limiting of production to 21 companies that have been identified as air pollution sources, for the three week period from July 20 to the conclusion of the Games. Also, the pollutant emissions of fossil-fuel power plants, metallurgical plants, and oil refineries in the city will be limited starting in August.

Recently, public service announcements by the government have appeared encouraging smiling handling of foreign visitors and better manners. While masterfully instilling patriotism in the people, the Chinese government is making a feverish dash to the finish-line to achieve the slogan "One Dream, One World." Though the rush might be criticized as too heavy-handed, China is quite amazing in its ability to achieve its goals, and this same ability might be one of its fear-instilling characteristics as well.

There is an expression, "Beijing's autumn heavens," which glorifies the autumn sky in Beijing, and we similarly hope to see "Beijing's blue heavens" during the upcoming Olympics.

*(photo at the right) Excepting those used for hauling fresh food, trucks will not be allowed to enter the Beijing Administrative Zone. During the Olympic Games might be a tough time to move to a new place. / (photo at the left) The names of Olympic host cities, which from the 1st Athens to the 29th Beijing, are written in order on the stairs of a subway station.