The Most Beautiful Sky in Shanghai

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2008-07-08 23:47 · Shanghai Weather

Today is the most beautiful weather in Shanghai I have experienced in the last three years. I told Wendy about it and she also agreed when we drove across the Huangpu River this morning.

Do you agree?

The sky is pure blue - just like the normal sky in bay area (what a pity and shame). I remember years ago when I posted my photos from San Jose, and people in China was so surprised and commented that “Look at the blue sky”, and my readers in bay area was also surprised: “Look! Someone even get surprised of blue sky!”…

There are wonderful clouds (few of them) on the blue sky.

The visibility is very good today - we can see the top windows of the tallest building, World Finance Center, from my home.

On the Nanpu Bridge, the Lupu Bridge looks so close that I can touch them, and the cars on the bridge forms a shining line - the reflection of the windows of cars of the Sun is just so rare in Shanghai.

I am completely turned an environmentalist by the wonderful view - I want to do more just to keep Shanghai as beautiful as today.

15 Comments
yeh,I like sunny day too, just like my mood.
— Ben Lu · 2008-07-09 00:10
Would you mind post a photo for blue sky in Shanghai please?
— Stephen · 2008-07-09 00:46
I also woke up today and saw puffy white clouds against a blue sky and felt very happy. This is how life should be, and we must all work hard to make it so. I've been hearing from friends in Beijing lately about how bad the pollution is, and I've felt very proud for Shanghai---that it is doing better at keeping the air cleaner. Of course geography has something to do with this, but it also about policy. I hope the city will continue to work to increase trees and green areas and control industrial pollution in the Yangzi delta. We all deserve to see blue skies, and for me, this is more important than industrial development. I wish people everywhere could treasure nature over material possessions.
— Aili · 2008-07-09 03:14
You're doing better than the Bay Area today, that's for sure! We've had several weeks of very bad air quality around here due to big uncontrolled forest fires near the coast and in the mountains. When the wind changes from time to time, there may be a few hours where the smoke from one direction clears out, but very soon thereafter more smoke from the other direction comes pouring in. I feel very sorry for the people whose homes and communities are affected by these fires, so it seems only a small hardship for us to have to "suffer" from the effect of the smoke. You know the view from our house, Jian Shuo? Right now we can barely see the hill that is closest to us between here and the valley, and I cannot see at all the place where your eBay office and usual motel is located.
— Carroll · 2008-07-09 08:10
You are right, JSW. My 5-year old son, who has lived in China almost all his life thinks the sky is white. I had to tell him that if the sky is clear, it is blue. When I was in the UK a few days ago I could see a very blue sky.

Looking out of the window in Pudong today, I see that the sky is blue in places. That's an improvement :)
— martin kellerman · 2008-07-09 14:10
That blue sky really makes me feel like not working for the day. Just thought of sitting at my balcony having a cup of coffee and doing some house chores.

And that blue sky strikes my mind and tell me how much I miss home now.
— DC · 2008-07-09 16:36
Yeah, it is beatiful, and let me remenber the blue skies in my hometown ten years ago.
— Christina Hou · 2008-07-09 17:06
This post really needs a photo....
— Thijs (Shenzhen) · 2008-07-09 20:07
Not only the blue sky and fluffy clouds -- which I have been loving in spite of the heat -- but in the evenings the sky is full of stars (and it's cool enough to enjoy them). I would usually discourage friends from visiting Shanghai in the summer and recommend early fall, but if this keeps up I will reconsider.
— Myrick · 2008-07-10 01:36
yeah JianShuo - I just arrived in Shanghai today after being away for 6 months and it was a great welcome": weather just like back in Boston where I am from - beautiful blue and clear skies. For a moment I thought this was the new Shanghai but today was back to "normal". But hey - it was pretty while it lasted and I did get a couple of pics :-)
— Niels · 2008-07-10 11:43
if you've lived in cities like Kunming, Shenzhen, Haikou... you'd have known that the sky in most part of China is as blue as that of your bay area, except for those huge cities.

Not all Chinese people would get surprised of blue sky, they've actually seen it. They are not that pathetic.
— Cyan · 2008-07-11 11:51
You can read Shanghai environment protection bureau's appraisal of air polution last week here:

http://www.sepb.gov.cn/hjzhiliang/main.jsp

It seems they believe that lower air polution last week was due to wind clearing away pollutants more effectively than usual.
— martin kellerman · 2008-07-14 02:36
This afternoon the sky looked pretty blue too.

sepb.gov.cn indicated an API of 47 (lower than usual for Shanghai)
— martin · 2008-07-14 22:32
As Carroll commented, the Bay Area has been really smoggy due to the fires burning in California, but the air has greatly improved over the past couple days. It's depressing to think that the normal air quality for some Chinese cities is much worse than what the Bay Area was like last week.
— DG · 2008-07-16 11:49
I would also have liked to see a picture of it...when people think of China nowadays they think "pollution"...please reasure the rest of us. Thanks!
— mylifeiscrap.com · 2008-07-17 05:28