July 17, 2008 11:15

Rainy Beijing

Posted by Simon Elegant | Comments (15) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

As you can see from the picture below, it's raining pretty heavily in Beijing. This may seem pretty commonplace but it is significant for a number of reasons.

One is that it has been a very rainy summer indeed by Beijing standards. Obviously that's a worry for the Opening Ceremony where a rain-out would be a big loss of face. China has a technological solution though, according to national news service Xinhua. We'll see. I am skeptical of weather modification efforts, particularly trying to stop the rain, which involves seeding clouds approaching Beijing so that they dump their water before getting to the city. Seems to me a sudden wind increase could send have water-laden clouds headed straight for the Birds Nest. Tricky.

Anyway, as my colleague Austin wrote a couple of days ago, it now looks as though the city's efforts to clean up its air will be successful, at least temporarily. The current rain will help those efforts, clearing the air ahead of Sunday's scheduled start of the odd-even license plate system. Some Beijingers are looking with considerable excitement to the start of the vehicle reduction period, which will run until the Paralympics are done in late September and should give us a blissful few months of clean air. Others of course are trying to figure out how they are going to get to work on a public transport system that is already bursting at the seams. Beats me how hundreds of thousands of people are going to get onto subway trains and buses that already look like sardine cans at rush hour. We will keep you posted.

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Reader Comments (15)

yesterdayoncemore:

to mr Simon Elegant
you are a very hardworking blogger, you update almost everyday. 加油 and please put up as many pictures as possible.

Posted by yesterdayoncemore | July 18, 2008 1:29 AM

luoshisansi:

Logic says that rain will help clear the air. However, last month was the rainiest June in something like 125 years down here in Hong Kong, yet experts just announced that pollution was higher last month than during the same period in 2007. Hope nature is more cooperative up there.

Posted by luoshisansi | July 18, 2008 1:47 AM

Rui:

I'm not a meteorologist, but what has today's weather to do with the weather in August??? The fact that today's raining in Beijing, does it mean it will be raining, or sunshining, on the 8th of August?

Posted by Rui | July 18, 2008 3:59 AM

jong:

Simon:
Those Chinese should truly appreciate your work in view of that you have had enough of the Olympic preparation expressed in one of your previous blogs. I do agree with your feelings since this game is turning itself into an Olympic of the superrich or Olympic of the American CEOs (8000 of them as per Wall Street Journal. None cares human right abuse?).

Dalai Lama has completed his tour in Pennsylvania and issued a statement on his talks with the Chinese (http://www.dwnews.com/gb/MainNews/Olympics/realtime/2008_7_17_23_38_4_153.html). Any thoughts and comments?

I admit that it is a surreal scene and sensation when you see those well fed, well nourished my American countrymen (women) lining up to be enlightened in Philadelphia by the Nobel Laureate whose native tongue does not have any vocabularies of modern science like the names of molecules, proteins, not to mention serotonin receptor agonists or norepinephrine receptor antagonist. It is not much different from the case of that a monkey or Chimp somehow acquires a human language (English to be exact here) and start to lecture human (white men here to be exact) on the topics ranging from universe to an individual’s life. Thank God, only a handful well educated Americans follow. If Dalai can command and convert a bit more, it spells the death sentence to one of the greatest human civilization process in North America like the Maya civilization.

Posted by jong | July 18, 2008 1:56 PM

google2com:

Mr. Simeon,
you have a really nice view from your window.

Posted by google2com | July 18, 2008 6:52 PM

Munir Ming:

"a rain-out would be a big loss of face."

BTW, Simon, is that your face?

The organizers have repeatedly said probably there will be no rain on Aug. 8. The chance of rain is some 45 percent.

And even if it does rain, you have to forgive me if I don't see the end of the world. Sure, parts of the opening ceremony will be cancelled, which would be a great loss for all those eager to watch the expected extravagant show in its fullest form directed by Zhang Yimou.

Incovinience? Yes. Pity? Yes. Big loss of face? Hell no！If only you mean the faces of those self-proclaimed jounalists-turned-historians who I suspect have no interest at all in seeing (the repressed, oppressed, grieved, deprived and whatever ajectives you’d like to put here) Chinese in party mode.

But, the party is on, and I know it's always for some. For all those who have been working hard to show the Chinese government and China at lareg are turning from a bad guy into a devil every day, I say keep doing what you have to and the world really needs you, as much as we need an unpoliticized Olympics. Rain or no rain, I will burn a whole DVD of the opening ceremony in case you are too busy and just miss the show.

Posted by Munir Ming | July 18, 2008 8:09 PM

Tomorrow:

What the hell-- a highway interchange a beatiful view?
You guys' taste are terrible!
And no wonder, places like Beijing are getting more and more cars and more and more highways to hold these cars ...
People think they are beautiful?!
It's cracy!

Posted by Tomorrow | July 18, 2008 8:14 PM

Eric:

Well, that is not a high way interchange but an urban express way.

It could be really noise if the windows are open. The most polluted city will always be the most significant one ...remind me of the 19th century's London.

Posted by Eric | July 18, 2008 10:19 PM

Eric:

Well, that is not a high way interchange but an urban express way.

It could be really noise if the windows are open. The most polluted city will always be the most significant one ...remind me of the 19th century's London.

Posted by Eric | July 18, 2008 10:19 PM

Eric:

Well, that is not a high way interchange but an urban express way.
It could be really noise if the windows are open.

The most polluted city will always be the most significant one ...remind me of the 19th century's London.

Posted by Eric | July 18, 2008 10:21 PM

gui:

Simon is a stupid guy. I have read the blog several month. It seems to me Simon hates china and chinese people so much. If so, I suggest you to quit your job. Nobody force you to live in a country you hate.

Raining 0n Aug.8, does not make anybody lose face, but your fart does, if you still know what is called a shame.

BTW, do believe china has the technique to cntrol the climate, in a certain area, in a certain period.

It seems impossible to you ,but it is even not a high tech. to china, USA and so on. The only thing you need is to prepare enough equipment and unfortunately china has too many of them. I even saw one time they did this seccessfully in a small town 10 years ago.

Posted by gui | July 19, 2008 12:27 PM

Tomorrow:

Eric,
It does not really matter if it is a highway or an urban expressway ... it is ugly!

Posted by Tomorrow | July 20, 2008 6:46 AM

brg8:

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