Beijing man who photographed city's smog every day for two years set to work with top scientists on pollution research project
What started out as a gripe about a bad air day in Beijing two years ago has become a social-media phenomenon, nudging people to pay attention to the pollution around them.
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What started out as a gripe about a bad air day in Beijing two years ago has become a social-media phenomenon, nudging people to pay attention to the pollution around them. Every day fifty-something businessman Zou Yi got up and took a photo of Beijing Television’s headquarters from his 13th-floor flat and uploaded it online. He took it from the same spot and in the same direction. Close to a thousand mornings later, he tells NECTAR GAN that he’s taking it a step further by working with top scientists on a project with the photos.
Why did you start tracking Beijing's air quality with your photos?
At the beginning of 2013, suddenly there was a long period - probably more than two weeks - of bad air pollution. [I] could see the smog and felt really uncomfortable. I didn't want to go out in such bad air, so I just stayed at home and took a few shots [of the smog]. After taking the photos for two to three days, the smog was still there. The Beijing TV tower is very close to my home, I can usually see it through the window. But then, it became so fuzzy that sometimes it disappeared. I took photos of it for 10 straight days. And then I thought, maybe I should keep doing it and see how [the air] changes over time. That was how it got started.