Artist Ai Weiwei dons gas mask as severe pollution continues to engulf China

Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei joined the growing chorus of disapproval at Beijing’s air pollution this week by posing pictures of himself on Twitter wearing a gas mask.

It was published as news emerged that shares in a Chinese face mask manufacturer soared on Tuesday as investors looked for opportunities to cash in on the severe air pollution that has blanketed large swathes of China.

Shanghai Dragon stocks soared by the 10 per cent daily limit shortly after the market opened for the second day in a row, while pollution control equipment maker Fujian Longking was up 9.64 per cent in morning trading.

Acrid smoke and haze shrouded large swathes of the country over the weekend and Monday, and a manager at a Beijing outlet of pharmacy chain Jinglongtang told reporters that facemask sales had surged.

“The purchases were made because of the pollution for sure,” said the manager, who declined to be named. “The masks were all sold out by Monday,” she said.

At the height of the smog Beijing authorities said readings for PM2.5 – particles small enough to penetrate the lungs deeply – hit 993 micrograms per cubic metre, almost 40 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit.