Hey Inner Mongolia, keep your sand!

I stood over the sink, violently coughing. My lungs ached. It felt like they were filled with lead and every breath seemed to weigh them down more. I'm not a chain smoker, but I was unfortunate enough to travel for an hour across Beijing one Saturday morning last month as the city was hit by one of the biggest sandstorms in recent memory.

As I continued to hack up sand, I thought to myself, "The last time I experienced a sandstorm like this was when I lived in Inner Mongolia. Maybe it's to blame?"

As I looked into it, I found my suspicion was right. According to a report that was printed April 7 in China Daily, Inner Mongolia was a major source of the dirt and sand the easterly winds carried to Beijing.