If you ask me which are my favourite days in Shanghai, I have to admit that any day with sunshine and a blue sky is my favourite. At least then I am able to breathe without concern that the air is full of pollution. For people in Shanghai, air pollution used to be something that only appeared on the news or in dystopian movies. However, in recent years, Shanghai has also suffered from heavy air pollution days. We started to lose our right to exercise outdoors whenever we wanted. Scenes from the movie Blade Runner appeared in Lu Jia Zui. Once I experienced a heavy headache after going to school on a day when the AQI level passed 500. We began to get a sense of mankind’s ability to self-destruct. Nevertheless, as polluted days become more frequent, we somehow increased our tolerance level. Gradually “lightly polluted” days become “normal” days. As long as the AQI stays below 300, it’s still okay to go out. I even went running outdoor on a day with an over 100 AQI (how I regret that!). Although the smog issue in China hasn’t reached the level of 1952 London, it has already become an urgent problem in Chinese society. For lots of Chinese citizens, there is a common feeling that society and the government is full of problems that pose complications for issues closely connected to the national economy and policies. This is because the complexity of these problems prevents many people from thinking deeply. Our over-tolerance on environmental problems, such as air pollution, is an example of this. We are concerned, but only take one small step further, fearing for our benefits. Under the trend of information fragmentation, a 100-minute documentary went viral on Chinese social media recently. The film is ‘Under the Dome: Investigation on Smog by Chai Jin’. Chai Jin, the storyteller and journalist, resigned from CCTV(China Central Television, the largest TV broadcasting company in China) in 2014, but remains one of the most famous journalists in China. While Chai was pregnant, China experienced a large-scale smog issue, but she was forced to be outside on work for a long time. Then, her daughter was born with a tumor and she figured that only the smog could be the reason behind this unnatural incident. Fortunately, her daughter survived the surgery. Her daughter’s suffering might be the reason why Chai is determined to investigate the problem of smog that deters many others. As a dedicated journalist and frustrated mother, Chai began a comprehensive investigation on the smog problem in China, which led to heaps of research. ‘Under the Dome’ is a very well-made documentary that won’t bore viewers, emphasizes the danger of smog, and discusses the complicated problems behind the issue. The cause of smog includes the burning of fossil fuels, exhaust emission from automobiles and restaurants, and dust from construction sites. However, these come naturally with the development of Chinese modern industrial cities. Also, the Environmental Department has limited power to enforce the law. In China, lots of vehicles are not equipped with gas treatment devices and there are regulations for recalling vehicles that don’t meet the standards. Yet, Chai reports that since 2004, there has not been a single case that dealt with cars without gas treatment devices, because the regulation says “the vehicles will only be recalled when it poses obvious threat human death or property loss”. Other contributing factors are the wide use of inferior fuel and coal, reflecting lack of environmental consciousness among the public; the highly monopolized oil & energy industry, which discourages innovation; and excessive urbanization. The outcome of wide environmental pollution due to over-urbanization is widely acknowledged around the world and thus was not unexpected in China. Chai also investigated the London smog disasters in 1952, as well as the Los Angeles smog disaster in 1943. These places instituted many heavy regulations to save the place from smog disasters. Unfortunately, China’s administrative department has a different structure than the west. Reforms are usually carried out from the top, at a relatively slow pace, due to the many interests and profits taken into account. The political sensitivity of the smog issue might explain why the full, unabridged version of “Under the Dome” cannot be found online. A month after the release of this film, as I’m writing this article, the Chinese video host websites have deleted the film. This is not surprising. At least this time, the film was able to be seen for a few days and enjoyed a wide popularity. However, within the “Under the Dome” sensation there was an odd turn in the thinking regarding the film soon after its release. The public conversation changed from discussing the smog issue to criticizing the film and Chai Jin. When I saw the film, the main online discussion was already focused on how this film lacks scientific evidence and is full of false information. Criticisms on Chai almost outweighed the environmental concerns. Chai Jin, as a journalist, “enjoyed” the craze over her personal life and background, just like an entertainment celebrity. As for most internet sensations in China, the cynical and negative voices easily became the mainstream thinking, but for a documentary on an environmental issue that should concern everyone, this trend is disturbing. “Under the Dome” is not a perfect work, but it is still an important documentary on the smog issue in China. Chai is the first person to have the courage and determination to make one on the topic. The appearance of some internet blogs on the films’ details and mistakes is normal, but this time some popular internet blogs even put out incorrect statistics to support the argument that Chai’s film is full of “false information.” I think that, however we judge Chai, we must give her kudos for doing an in-depth investigation on the smog issue and conveying her findings to the public. Still, there is good news for China on the smog issue. The new Environmental Laws, known as the most strict in Chinese history, were implemented on January 1, 2015. These laws regulate the process of penalization, and order companies to make their information on environmental issues available and transparent. For the public, we can dial 12369（http://www.12369.gov.cn/), the environmentalhotline, if we find violators. Besides reporting issues, I think that for the Chinese citizens it is more important to spend time on educating ourselves about the global trend of environmental protection, including the new environmental-friendly energy methods, green movements, and policies in other countries.

要问我最爱上海的哪些日子，那么近两年来，只要是那些风和日丽、阳光明媚的时候就行了。至少我可以在室外尽情呼吸空气，而不必担忧呼吸的每一口空气都充满着人为制造的污染物。曾几何时，对于生活在上海这座城市的人来说，我们只能在电视新闻或者敌托邦科幻片里看到大气污染；然而近几年，当濒临东海的上海也开始频频出现重度污染天气，当我们没有权利选择在室外运动，当《银翼杀手》中的景象在我眼前真实地上演，以及当在AQI指数爆表的日子，因不得不去上学而头晕眼花时，我终于切身体会到人类是多么擅长自我毁灭的一个种族。 随着污染天数的不断增多，我们在精神上的忍耐力似乎也随之提高了。于是，逐渐地，轻度污染的日子变成了正常的日子，只要AQI指数低于300，我们就默认还是能正常出行的。甚至，我曾在AQI指数达到100多时还在室外跑步锻炼。 然而中国的雾霾，虽没有达到1952年伦敦雾霾事件的致命程度，却已经成为一个与国家经济、政治和民生密切相关的紧要问题。可能我们都认识到我们的社会是不完美的，但却从未仔细地问过自己“为什么？”。而雾霾，以及我们对环境污染问题的过分容忍，或许就是其中的一个例子。 这或许就能解释为什么在快餐消费的背景下，在信息不断趋向于碎片化的时代，一部长达100分钟，半演讲半纪录片形式的视频《穹顶之下：柴静雾霾调查》上个月在中国各大社交网站爆红。视频的制作人柴静，2014年底从央视低调辞职，却始终是国内最著名的记者之一。柴静是大气污染的受害人之一。在她怀孕期间，中国正经历大范围雾霾事件，而她又在外出差，走访了陕西、河南、江西、浙江四地。她的女儿，最后怀着良性肿瘤出生，还好最后刚刚出生的婴儿挨过了手术，成功存活。 女儿的遭遇或许是柴静下定决心去调查那些很多人不愿直面的问题的动力之一。而作为一个敬业的记者，柴静的确动用了很多资源，通过实地考察、专家采访等形式，对中国雾霾问题做了一个非常详细的调查。从美学角度看，《穹顶之下》也制作精良，有益于观众较轻松地了解问题。她明确强调了大气污染的危害，并对于其背后复杂的原因展开了讨论：

雾霾的成因复杂。几乎每一个中国的现代化工业城市的方方面面都给雾霾的形成提供了助力。包括化石燃料排放、交通工具尾气排放、工地沙尘、餐饮行业油气排放等等。

中国的环境部门执法困难。在中国，有不少没有加装尾气处理设施的车辆。虽然我们有缺陷汽车产品召回的管理条例，但根据柴静所说，2004年至今，针对“生产的时候没有装后处理装置的车”的执行次数为零。——“只有当它处于危及人身和财产安全的不合理的危险的时候才能召回”。

劣质燃油、劣质煤的大量使用，也从一个侧面反映出公众环境保护意识的缺乏。

中国的石油与能源企业高度垄断，而垄断无法鼓励创新。

中国城市化过度。一些严重过剩的行业依旧成为一些地方的支柱行业。

过度的工业与城市化发展导致大范围环境污染，历史上这样的事件其实发生过多次。柴静也调查了伦敦雾霾事件，并实地采访了曾经发生光化学烟雾事件的洛杉矶。两地都在灾难后日益重视环境保护问题，实施了不少大力度的政策。 然而中国的行政部门不同于西方，改革一般都是由上至下，进行缓慢，牵扯到的利益关系也很复杂。政治上的敏感性可能是为什么此片的完整未删减版从来都没有放出。一个月后，在我写这篇文章时，中国的各大主流视频网站已经删除了这部作品。好在国内深化改革步伐虽然迟缓，但一直在一步步进行着，被称为中国史上最严的新环保法已于2015年1月1日正式生效。该法明确了处罚条件及程序，并要求企业公开环境信息。 在整个《穹顶之下》的风潮中，有一个似乎与环境保护主题无关的现象。这便是中国网民对于柴静的批判。在当我得知这部片子时，网络的主流已经变为对于此片中不科学方面的讨论，批评柴静的声音甚至盖过了对雾霾问题本身的讨论。柴静，虽说本职是记者，却享受着被人肉出生背景与黑历史的堪比娱乐明星的待遇。几乎每一个中国的网络事件中，网民性格中的犬儒、浮躁、悲观情绪都会爆发，而对于一个环境事件，这种转移主次的现象实在令人揪心。诚然，《穹顶之下》不是完美的，对一部纪录片进行细节分析与纠错是正常现象，然而此次有不少帖子竟为了噱头而制造并不科学的“科学纠错”。我认为，无论如何我们应当肯定柴静的出发点，她勇于直面深入调查社会敏感问题这一点本身便是值得喝彩的。 柴静在片子末尾呼吁群众从自己做起，为环保贡献力量。12369（http://www.12369.gov.cn/）是中国的环保热线。而除了去举报、反应问题之外，我们可能更需要花时间去了解能源技术的前沿在哪里，而不是肤浅地去职责柴静本人。中国当前的紧要问题，或许是提升国内民众的整体通识教育水平。 This article was written by Lu Pang. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times