China Briefing | Why ‘snow in April’ catkins are so annoying to Beijingers
Spring is a time for fresh air, but not in a city of 20 million long-suffering smog survivors who are now also being attacked by allergy-inducing white stuff that floats from trees – planted trees that were supposed to make breathing a little easier
Spring has come and flowers are in full bloom, beckoning people to venture out and enjoy the sights. But people who live in Beijing and other northern parts of the country might have their moods spoilt by a nasty occurrence this time of year – white fluffy stuff floating everywhere in the urban and the rural areas, into people’s noses, mouths and homes.
Widely known as “snow in April”, the dancing white stuff is in fact catkins seeds from millions of poplar and willow trees across northern China that can be active for five to six weeks. While they may look stunning in photos, they are more than a public nuisance. They can be serious health and fire hazards.
Over the past week, the outbreak has already started in many parts of the country, including Beijing, and is expected to worsen in the coming days.
But the floating seeds are not the only bother. Spring is also the season for sandstorms, dumping bits of earth and dust all over northern China, as if to make up for the decline of toxic air pollution partly caused by coal-firing for heat generation in winter. Just last week, a sandstorm swept across a vast expanse of the country from Xinjiang (新疆) to Beijing.
To be fair, the frequency and severity of sandstorms have been on the decline thanks to China’s afforestation programme which started in the 1960s and gathered momentum from the 1980s.