City reaches annual 'blue sky days' target

BEIJING - As of Saturday, Beijing had enjoyed 274 days of "blue sky" in 2011, fulfilling its annual target ahead of schedule, an official at the city's environmental protection bureau said on Saturday.

Beijing experienced an overall decline in the concentration of various pollutants in 2011, said Zhuang Zhidong, deputy director of the bureau.

The concentration of PM10, or particulate matter of less than 10 micrometers, decreased to 114 micrograms a cubic meter this year, the lowest in four years, according to the bureau.