Nation shows the way forward on green highway

Western media portrayals of China continue to be distorted by ubiquitous images of mask-wearing cyclists riding under hazy skies.

The truth is, that reality is in rapid retreat, though the stereotype is not. Anyone who lives in China - including the foreign journalists who should care enough to take an honest look around - can see the tremendous differences in air quality visible even in the last few years.

Blue skies are now much more the norm in Beijing, rather than an aberration or a result of efforts ahead of a special event like APEC, when the term APEC Blue was coined to describe the clearing up of air pollution before that international gathering.