Smog is coming, the book that is

The cover of Smog is coming. Photo provided to China Daily

In addition, grassroots workers and officials tasked with environmental protection are under government and public pressure to control pollution but have limited power, resources and support of the law to achieve such goals. This was the main reason that drove Li to write a novel on the subject, he tells China Daily during a telephone interview.

"It is easier to tell people something through a novel than through boring lectures," Li says.

"I want to convey to the public the importance of environmental protection, and give them the scientific background and legal issues behind smog and air pollution.

"I also want to highlight the efforts and sacrifices that grassroots workers make to protect our environment and the challenges they face."

Starting in 2013, Li used all his spare time over more than 100 days to finish writing the book, he adds.

The novel, narrated in the voice of an environmental protection consultant, has four chapters. Each chapter has a protagonist among a few figures who are from different walks of life, and centers on the protagonist's life and activities.

The four chapters are interrelated. In every chapter, there are figures that have appeared in other chapters, making one protagonist's story lead to another's naturally. Issues of air pollution, bureaucracy and fraud, among others, are woven into the novel.

"It was a trial for me to divide a novel into four independent chapters that are related in content," says Li, who is also the spokesman of his bureau. "I want to show readers that everyone is connected by the need to protect the environment."

Li says the book's topic, rather than his writing, is responsible for putting it in the headlines.

"Li has given much scientific information in the novel and delivered information on environmental protection to the readers artistically, which is extraordinary," says Meng Fanbiao, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Langfang Daily. Meng was one of the first readers of the book.

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