Hazardous white smog hides Beijing skyline despite industry cutbacks; statues masked in stunt
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The smog is so bad even the statues wear masks. Or at least they do in photos of a campus stunt circulating online as parts of northern China suffered a sixth straight day of severe pollution.
A Peking University student placed the masks on statues of Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes, Communist Party co-founder Li Dazhao and a sage practicing tai chi.
Hazardous white pollution hid much of Beijing's skyline Tuesday, despite announced closures or production cuts at 147 of the city's industrial plants.
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The National Meteorological Center said readings of particulate matter known as PM2.5, a key measure of pollution, reached 444 micrograms per cubic meter in central Beijing. WHO considers 25 micrograms a safe level.