Reuters reported that China's capital Beijing was covered by a thick layer of brown-gold dust on the morning of March 15, seriously affecting air quality and life, as well as people's health.
On the morning of March 15, the China Meteorological Administration issued a gold level warning and said that strong winds caused sandstorms to spread from Inner Mongolia to the provinces of Gansu, Shandxi and Hebei, around the capital Beijing.
The AQI - the official measure of air pollution - in Beijing reached a peak of 500 on the morning of March 15, while PM10 fine dust levels reached 2,000 micrograms/cubic meter in some districts.
The results of measuring PM2.5 - a type of fine dust that can penetrate the lungs - also reached nearly 300 micrograms/cubic meter, much higher than the Chinese standard of 35 micrograms.
China's capital Beijing regularly faces sandstorms in March and April every year due to its location near the Gobi Desert as well as the consequences of deforestation across northern China.
In recent weeks, Beijing and surrounding areas have been hit by relatively high air pollution, leaving the city in a misty fog as the country's parliamentary session opens on March 5.
