0h, the Weather Outside is Frightful

Brrrrrrr….
this is for sure the coldest winter I've ever had. It is 3 degrees Celsius in Shanghai (which would be 37 degrees Fahrenheit in the United States). I came prepared this time though, unlike the last time I was abroad. When I studied abroad in Rome, Italy, in the spring time, it snowed for the first time in 30 years. I had not planned on traveling to Switzerland and the Netherlands either. I didn't bring a single coat on that trip besides my black peacoat, which was seeing its last days. I had to hand over way too many euros for a coat suitable for the snow. So, this time I brought two thick coats, two nice jackets, a hat, scarf, and gloves. I'm certainly glad I did. Even with my thorough packing however, I still had to buy another scarf and a pair of fuzzy leggings. I never thought Shanghai would get this cold (I admit that I didn't believe the weather reports I looked up before moving here). The nice, warm pearl milk teas do help though…especially ones from Coco. And, my new roommate Lauren figured out how to use our heaters in our apartment! No more going to bed with three layers of clothing!

The weekend after I completed my smog video for my internship, the air quality index levels rose to an all-time high of 500 in shanghai, which is extremely hazardous for everyone. The government advised people to stay indoors, especially children. I bought a cloth mask for that weekend, and fortunately have not had to wear it since.
   
I can't believe I have been here for four months already. Although it seems like it has been a long time since orientation, the weeks feel shorter and shorter. Sean is coming to visit in a week which will make the entire month of January speed by. I can't wait until he gets here! I feel like I have been here long enough now where I can be his Shanghai tour guide. It is the first time I haven't been home for Christmas, but he's bringing some to me.

In other news, I recently got my first freelance photography job! My friend at my internship recommended me to her friend who needed someone to take photos at this realty show at this hotel in downtown Shanghai. I took a bunch of pictures for MSM Luxury Estates, located in Beverly Hills, and had a blast going out with them after the event to this club called the Mint, which has its own shark tanks.

My internship also wanted me to take some pictures this past week of this Christmas tree at this mall that lights up when two people kiss beneath it. I took some great pictures of couples kissing underneath the tree for a local charity that donates money for surgeries for children with cleft palette. Then, they changed their mind. Instead of taking the pictures, they wanted me in the picture. The night before the deadline I had to pose for the picture, and I had to bring someone to kiss! My poor roommate Lauren agreed to come with me, and now we have a funny story to laugh about. The picture is in the recent City Weekend magazine taking up a full page with a blurb I wrote about the event. Now I'm thinking about taking Sean there…he just can't be jealous that I kissed Lauren there first!

Besides all this, I have bought my flight to Hong Kong for Spring Festival! I will be there for four days with my friend and coming back to Shanghai on Chinese New Year! Looking forward to ringing in 2014, chinese style!

Stuck in the Smog

This is a video I did for my internship at City Weekend, here in Shanghai:  

   

Article Version:

Is China Stuck in the Smog?

Now under the rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has the second-biggest economy, behind the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. China is also the world’s most populated country even with the “one-child policy,” according to the World Population Review.

But, an unprecedented amount of air pollution in China has caused the central government to place environmental concerns over economic ones. In September, at the 18^th Air Pollution Control Conference in Beijing, the government initiated a new goal of reducing the amount of air pollutants by 10% by 2017, according to CNN.

One of these pollutants is coal. The World Coal Association states that China relies on the fossil fuel for 70 to 80% of their energy needs, the most in the world. The government plans to stop the production of coal in power plants located in heavily polluted cities, CNN says.

However, Nitin Dani, president of the nonprofit GreenDrinks, believes that the amount is going to increase. He says: “Everyone wants the latest smart phone, the latest TV. Some of them might be energy-saving, but a lot of them are very energy-intensive. A lot of the things in the past you could do without energy, but you need these things now, right? So, I mean, I think one of the main reasons is definitely the change in lifestyle if you look at it from an individual level, but from an industrial level, products, services…they are all increasing. Population is increasing. “

Shanghai, China’s and the world’s most populous city, has reached an unhealthy amount of PM 2.5 in their air. Lately, they have been at a 169 reading, according to the Real-time Air Quality Index, which puts Shanghai on equal ground as Beijing.

Ping Zhuang of the International Fund for China’s Environment, talks about what makes up the air pollution. “In China, the primary contributing factors for PM 2.5 are largely because the increasing amount of vehicles. Actually, Shanghai in a way is better than Beijing, but still Shanghai everyday is increasing the amount of vehicles. The emissions from the exhaust, and also many factories, and also many construction sites always stir up pollutants.”

He adds, “And it use to be PM 10, larger particles, now 2.5, meaning because the smaller particles can actually go through your lungs, you know, stay there. You walk in the streets, one day you come down and your collar is like black.”

An average of five and a half years has been reduced from the life expectancy for residents of northern China, according to CNN. Instead of facing the problem of pollution and risk the loss of jobs, local authorities build national parks and endorse green projects, according to Reuters.  

Mr. Zhuang says, “I think what China is really lacking is a strict enforcement of these policies and regulations. If everyone showed more concern, and put more pressure on the government and industries, polluting industries, then it will change.”

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and best-selling author of The Third Industrial Revolution, thinks China can lead the third industrial revolution if they stop using fossil fuels and concentrate on their renewable energies, like geothermal heat, biomass, and wind and solar power.