BeiJing—Heavy haze still. BEIJING—Heavy haze (雾霾) still covered north and east China on Saturday, with highways closed and flights delayed or canceled.
The smoggy weather affected the country's land from north to south on Saturday, including Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi and Guangdong, with visibility(能见度) less than 50 meters in some areas.
Cities like Shanghai and Nanjing have been enveloped in the grey sky for the past several days. Many walkers in the street had to wear masks. In the Lukou airport in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, more than 60 inbound(抵达的) and outbound(出发的) flights were canceled on Saturday because of the haze, which also forced primary and middle schools and kindergartens to stop classes on Thursday and Friday in Nanjing.
The Chinese government now plans to clean up the air by cutting coal use, closing some factories and promoting cleaner production.
"We must face up to the realities," said Yan Naiqiang, a professor of environmental science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. "The treatment(治理) of smog will be a long battle(战斗)."