Courage needed for a country fit to live in

The persistent choking smog that shrouded Beijing and the nearby area for the past week made headlines around the world. The smog, with the PM2.5 reading going above 500, was so bad that it prompted the World Health Organization to declare a health crisis. "Nuclear winter", "uninhabitable" and "life expectancy cut by five years" were just some of the dreadful words filling the media reports.

It should not come as a surprise that the nation's capital suffers such heavy smog, as it is surrounded by some of the country's most polluted cities, mostly in Hebei province. Even in Shanghai, East China, the PM2.5 reading stayed around 170, three times higher than the healthy level recommended by the WHO.

The question people in China are asking is how long they will have to breathe such noxious air.