NO2<\/a>), and anything under 100 is classed as a \u201cblue-sky day\u201d. So come rain or snow, if the air quality is good enough, it\u2019s a \u201cblue-sky day\u201d.<\/p>\n\u201cWe didn\u2019t start out to disprove official figures,\u201d said Lu Weiwei. \u201cWe just wanted more people to pay attention to Beijing\u2019s blue skies and protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n
How important are the figures for the people who live in the city? \u201cYour mood when you get up in the morning doesn\u2019t depend on whether or not the newspaper tells you the air quality is up to standard \u2013 it depends on whether or not you see a blue sky when you open the door. A picture of a blue sky is more convincing than any data.\u201d She and photographer Fan Tao decided to take matters into their own hands and record the reality of Beijing\u2019s skies.<\/p>\n
Every photo in \u201cBeijing Blue-Sky Visual Diary\u201d includes a Beijing road sign \u2013large and small — from Dongzhimen to Douban Hutong, from Beitucheng Xilu to Shuiduizi Zhongjie. If the sky was grey, they just snapped the road sign, but on a blue-sky day they would invite a passer-by to put on a pair of sunglasses and appear in the photo. They used a traditional 35mm camera that recorded timely data on each photograph, thereby demonstrating continuity.<\/p>\n
The sunglasses indicated that the sky at the time was clear, Fan told chinadialogue<\/i>. Their round frames have a strong oriental touch and the mirrored lenses reflect the bright blue skies.<\/p>\n
Lu may seem a little unorthodox to some. Born in Beijing, she has lived in Europe and the United States and worked at the World Bank headquarters in Washington on development financing. She quit the bank and went to Italy to study design, before returning to Beijing in 2004. Fan, a Beijinger born-and-bred, is a freelancer specialising in architectural and structural photography. He and Lu are nostalgic for the days when they used to cycle to school. \u201cThe sky was really blue then, and the air clean,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome photos of the environment are too harsh and depressing; they create a sense of aversion,\u201d according to Fan. \u201cWe hope by taking pictures of blue skies and white clouds to let everyone participate and pay attention to the skies. Just do something small \u2013 environmental protection doesn\u2019t mean making a fuss or great sacrifices.\u201d The duo think that for a lot of people environmental protection means getting many people involved, but they sought to do something very ordinary. Using an old camera was part of this: it\u2019s recycling and environmentally friendly. Expensive equipment isn\u2019t needed to photograph the environment.<\/p>\n
For 365 days they visited different parts of Beijing and asked strangers to let themselves be photographed. Lu and Fan each had a camera and pair of sunglasses, and took it in turns to go out. They planned locations carefully, aiming to photograph as many different areas as possible. The photos also include many different types of people \u2013 old men and women, teenage girls, migrant workers, white-collar office staff. \u201cBeijing\u2019s a melting pot and we did our best to choose different people, to show the city\u2019s diversity and international nature,\u201d said Tao.<\/p>\n
At first the two had to overcome their apprehensions about stopping strangers in the street and persuading them to be photographed. If things went well, it might take only 20 minutes to find someone and take the photo. At other times, they might stand in the blazing sun for an hour without any luck. Sometimes Lu would see people trendily dressed: \u201cYou\u2019d think they\u2019d be environmentally aware,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d do everything I could to explain and be sure they\u2019d be supportive, but they\u2019d just say they didn\u2019t want to. I\u2019d say it would only take two minutes, and they\u2019d say they didn\u2019t even have two minutes. They didn\u2019t even have a reason. It\u2019s really discouraging when you aren\u2019t trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n
White-collar workers were rushed and wary, often declining without explanation. Fan described the China World Trade Centre junction, in Beijing\u2019s central business district, as his nightmare. It was particularly difficult to get someone there to photograph. According to Lu, \u201cThat\u2019s where the elite are gathered. A lot of environmental policy decisions are in their hands. Maybe they\u2019re under a lot of pressure, but a lot of them just keep rushing about with their heads down \u2013 they won\u2019t look at the sky!\u201d<\/p>\n
Unexpectedly, Fan and Lu found through the year that the most positive, encouraging responses didn\u2019t come from the trendy white-collar workers, but from old people and children. \u201cThe old folk are usually very enthusiastic,\u201d said Lu. \u201cThey were happy to be photographed and often asked us about ourselves.\u201d A young boy Lu photographed wished her good luck with the project, a moment that moved her. Fan once photographed an elderly retired engineer who told him: \u201cAs long as it\u2019s environmental protection, I\u2019m for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lu and Fan plan to publish all 365 photos in succession and would like to hold an exhibition so visitors can count the number of blue-sky days for themselves. \u201cWe counted 180,\u201d Fan said. \u201cMaybe some will find 185 or 200. People have different ideas about what a blue sky is, and I hope everyone will make their own judgement. It\u2019s really interesting, and gets more people involved. Our intention was to share and, in sharing, guide people\u2019s behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
Chen Zifan is a Beijing-based reporter.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i>Homepage image of a worker outside Dongzhimen Station, courtesy of Lu Weiwei and Fan Tao.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
China\u2019s capital has just endured a week of particularly hazardous pollution. In one year, how many good-air-quality days does the city see? Chen Zifan spoke with two residents who captured the visual evidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":744,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[760],"tags":[],"hashtags":[],"country":[],"class_list":["post-29134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pollution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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