Duck restaurant and brewery hit by Beijing's effort to lower pollution

A roast duck restaurant and a brewery on the outskirts of Beijing have been hit by the city's effort to lower air pollution during the Apec summit.

Beijing's environmental bureau faulted a restaurant selling roast duck - one of the city's favourite dishes - in a northwestern suburb yesterday because the kitchen's smoke exhaust system did not have a proper filter. The bureau said the restaurant would be fined.

Yanjing Brewery, which produces the popular local beer, also suspended production at one branch, the bureau said on Weibo, though it did not specify whether the brewery had taken the action voluntarily.

The bureau also said that two car repair companies which had failed to properly install devices to disperse gas fumes would be fined.

To lower the levels of smog during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation session, the capital has suspended industrial production, banned driving on alternate days and shut down schools in Beijing as well as in neighbouring Tianjin and Hebei and Shandong provinces.

Business owners and individuals who refuse to abide by the curbs face criminal charges under a new regulation that allows the city to implement temporary measures regarding social order, traffic, environment and business during "major national events", the Beijing Times said.