China has greatly improved its air quality through renewable energy, industrial structure adjustments and other policies over the past ten years.

Based on data from environmental satellites, China Central Television (CCTV) of the China Media Group (CMG) has made a model of atmospheric conditions in China with mountains and plains clearly visible. 

Many Chinese regions were clouded by smog in 2013, when the model mapped air pollution concentration in 74 cities, only three of which met the national standard for good air quality at the time.

Seven of the 10 most seriously polluted cities were in north China's Hebei Province.

During the national "13th Five-Year Plan" period (2016-2020), Hebei accounted for one-third of the country's total reduction of steel production capacity.

Correspondingly, the average concentration of PM2.5 (pollution particles) in the province decreased from 108 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 38.8 in 2021.

Such remarkable progress is the result of a long-lasting environmental campaign by China to deal with air pollution.

From adjustments to the industrial structure to developing clean energy, the country has taken measures to increase the days with blue skies since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012. Hebei has been a big beneficiary, witnessing a decline in industrial emissions with a cleaner and cleaner energy structure over the past decade.

Besides, China has seen rapid growth in the installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation. North China, an area once troubled by heavy smog, registered a fourfold increase in wind power growth during the period.

The number of days with good or excellent air quality in 339 cities increased from an average of 39 in 2015 to 319 in 2021. Data from search engines also shows that the frequency and trends of smog-related words have dropped since 2018 and reached the lowest point in 2022.

As air quality improves, more and more people have fallen in love with the night sky. The number of star sky-themed hotels and homestays on online tourism platforms rose by more than 10 times between 2013 and July 2022. 

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