Beijing, neighbors breathe cleaner air

Air quality also improved this year in the neighboring Hebei province.

The smog-prone province reported fairly good air quality for 66 percent of days since Oct 1, the best record in five years, provincial environmental protection authorities said last month.

Improved air quality has reduced sales of masks. At Gukang Pharmacy in Yuhua District in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, sales of smog masks dropped by 60 to 70 percent this winter compared with the same period in 2016.

"Instead of smog masks, we have sold more anti-flu masks," said saleswoman Liu at the pharmacy.

According to Tmall, sales of smog masks fell by 52 percent year on year from Dec 1 to 15, 2017 in Beijing. Neighboring Tianjin and Shijiazhuang showed similar patterns.

"Of mature markets in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, sales only contracted in Beijing, indicating improved air quality in the capital," said Xiao Yu, manager of Tmall Beijing.

Beijing office worker Wang Li said she had asked her friends to bring her masks from Japan, as her chosen brand often ran out in China in the smog season.

"I gave some away as gifts and have only used two masks myself this winter," she said.

While Beijing and nearby areas are far from pollution-free, air quality there is still worse than the national average. The region is home to half of the ten most polluted cities across the country.

According to environmental official Liu, PM2.5 in Beijing was 66 percent higher than the national standard, with nitrogen dioxide and PM10 15 percent and 20 percent higher than the national standard.

"We have made progress while maintaining growth, but still have a long way to go," he said.