A Breath of Fresh Air

At the age of 29， Fang Da gained unexpected popularity in only a few months from late 2013 to early 2014. Quickly， Smog Survival Guide， a WeChat public account he registered online， attracted more than 25，000 followers.

During this period， many cities across China were constantly shrouded in smog. Heavily polluted air cast a continuous shadow on people’s lives. Hospital respiratory departments became consistently packed with patients. Air purifiers flew off the shelves and stock soon depleted. And along with masks for themselves， people even began putting them on pets.

Like everyone else， Fang， a resident of Hangzhou， was greatly affected by smog. A cycling enthusiast， Fang regularly participated in semi-professional cycling activities， and coached a cycling team， overseeing training programs and scheduling.

Thus， compared with ordinary people， smog influences Fang even more due to his regular outdoor training. “At first， I continued cycling despite smog，” he explains.“But soon I felt discomfort in my throat. I got scared. ” To continue his training， Fang spent 8，000 yuan on a professional indoor stationary bike. However， riding indoors and out are totally different. Fang began to doubt that Hangzhou， with scenery that was compared to heaven in the past， was still suitable for cycling due to smog. In November 2013， after a less-than-pleasant outdoor ride， depressed Fang registered the“Smog Survival Guide” account. By April 2014， the public account had attracted more than 25，000 followers.

In the beginning， Fang， who had scarce knowledge about smog， spent several hours daily learning about it， sorting useful information and posting it on the account. He spent days conducting field tests at places people frequent such as the subway， roads， and indoor locales， to record specific PM 2.5 levels. Fang recorded his research with videos and pictures and documented the entire process before posting everything. Targeting the general public， Fang used simple and easy-to-understand language to publicize smog-related knowledge.

Fang’s no-nonsense approach proved

tremendously popular. In late 2013， his article Smog-proof or Not？ A Test Report for Eight Common Smog-proof Masks went viral， winning him even more attention. In it， he compared eight masks of various brands， some domestically-made and some imported， from a number of angles including product standards， material， and user feedback to help consumers choose suitable masks.

Practical reports such as this have been well-received by netizens， forgoing obscure statistics and requiring no expertise from readers. From the very beginning， the content of Smog Survival Guide has provided useful information for ordinary people’s everyday lives， such as how to use an air purifier more efficiently， which exercises are better for smoggy days， and symptoms and precautions related to smog poisoning.

Now， Fang has organized a team to operate Smog Survival Guide. While he enjoys the feeling of success accompanying increasing numbers of subscribers， he also more intimately shares others’ feelings of anxiety and helplessness caused by smog. Through the internet， he hopes he can arouse concern for safety issues related to the living environment， including air， water， and food. “With rational minds， people who can learn new things and never follow blindly will survive any crisis，” opines Fang.

China Pictorial （CP）： What are the biggest contributors to China’s severe smog today？

Fang Da （Fang）： We can take a look at the London Smog Disasters of 1952 and Los Angeles Smog Episodes from the early 1940s to 1950. Coal was mainly responsible for the London disaster and automobile exhaust for the Los Angeles incident. In China today， both coal and automobile exhaust are widespread， which I blame for the heavy air pollution.

Even today， China’s energy demand still depends largely on burning coal， and most thermal power plants are not qualified in terms of full filtration before discharge. And automobile exhaust is another big problem. Take Beijing for example： Automobile exhaust is the largest pollution source， accounting for 27 percent of pollutants in the air.

CP： In simple words， what is the major damage smog causes to humans？

Fang： It hurts us both physically and psychologically. The general public is largely aware of the former. But not so many pay attention to the latter yet.

CP： What is your biggest concern about how Chinese people deal with smog？

Fang： Many treat smog with indifference. They know it is hazardous， yet think they won’t be a victim. Many don’t use any protection in daily life， and they will regret it if they contract a smog-related disease one day.

CP： What topics are followers of Smog Survival Guide most concerned about？

Fang： Statistics from key word searches show that our followers pay more attention to PM 2.5 definitions and damage， as well as topics related to everyday life， such as changes in PM 2.5 indexes in indoor environments with and without windows opened， and pollution inside vehicles.

CP： Is it possible that some measures could alleviate the severe smog situation in the foreseeable future？ If not， what can ordinary people do for effective protection， conveniently， at a reasonable price？

Fang： As for the environment as a whole， there are too many uncertainties. Rome was not built in a day and it is impossible to solve the smog problem over a short period. But for individuals， there are still things you can do. People need to ensure they are in an environment with a low PM 2.5 index. A simple and effective way remains to wear a mask when going out and using air purifiers at home. I also recommend installing an app that measures Air Quality Index（AQI） on their phones. If the index reaches 150， wear a PM 2.5 mask when going out. If the index tops 500， people should avoid going out at all and stay indoors.

CP： Have you ever thought about incorporating more environmental-protection issues into the guide？ And any plans for the guide’s future development？

Fang： Since it looks like smog will exist in China for a long time， our focus will remain smog and air-related issues. We will incorporate some other environmental protection content when we see fit， but not so much that it distracts from the primary issue. Focusing on something creates values. We may develop the guide into a company in the future， and be able to bring more to our followers.