CHINA:BEIJING HAS enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month - some commentators believe it is the best air in 100 years - and environmental officials are promising a raft of new measures to ensure the city's skies stay clear longer term.
Beijingers have had a taste of a decent environment in the past few days, and people are doing unusual things like opening their windows or venturing out onto their balconies, but many are too afraid to dream of a real improvement in the atmosphere.
China's "blue sky" index shows that in the last 18 days, air quality in the capital ranged between excellent and fairly good, according to Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau. And this is only the beginning, said Mr Du.
"Beijing will be built into a liveable city. We will take some new measures to ensure that air quality will reach a new level after the Olympic Games," said Mr Du. Officials would study Beijing's "successful experiences" and come up with the measures.
"Whether it is vehicle emissions reduction, or construction site dust reduction or coal pollution reduction, I believe that the requirements will be more stringent," he said.
Air pollution was a worry in the run-up to the Olympics and the opening night ceremony was held on a humid, polluted haze.
The government has spent billions of euro to clean up the environment, shutting hundreds of factories and coal-fired power plants in the city and surrounding regions, as well as taking millions of cars off the streets with even-odd licence plate number restrictions.
Rain also helped clear the air. Sunday is forecast to be cloudy, but officials may "seed" the clouds to bring the rain and clear the sky ahead of the finale in the Bird's Nest stadium, Mr Du said.