--- description: From antismog tea to water cannons designed to blast particles out of the air, there's a buck to be made from China's pollution title: Desperate Chinese Snap Up Dubious 'Anti-Pollution' Products image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf998321b963523f9/6988ba3d8fd2ee0955355c9a/gettyimages-631059828.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Chinese People Are Buying All Kinds of Desperate Remedies to Protect Themselves From Smog  by [Charlie Campbell / Beijing](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell / Beijing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Feb 14, 2017 5:38 AM CUT  Pedestrians wearing masks walk on a road that is blanketed by heavy smog on Jan. 5, 2017, in Jinan, Shandong province, China Pedestrians wearing masks walk on a road that is blanketed by heavy smog on Jan. 5, 2017, in Jinan, Shandong province, ChinaVCG/Getty Images  by [Charlie Campbell / Beijing](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell / Beijing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Feb 14, 2017 5:38 AM CUT Following a welcome burst of blue skies over Lunar New Year, chronic smog [returned](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-02/13/content%5F28183110.htm "undefined") to northern China this week, prompting the wearing of face masks and the switching on of air purifiers as airborne particle levels soared to 10 times WHO safe levels. The government said it was making efforts to deal with the choking haze, from [slashing](http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/beijing-vows-30-cut-in-coal-use-in-2017-to-fight-smog/3495872.html "undefined") coal consumption in the capital Beijing by 30%, and the [threat of legal action](http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2070670/five-chinese-lawyers-sue-local-governments-failing "undefined") against the worst offending local authorities, to proposed [cutbacks](http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2070396/china-mulls-more-curbs-coal-metal-industries-combat "undefined") to the coal and steel industries. (Though Greenpeace [claims](http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2070524/chinas-steel-capacity-grows-despite-drive-cut-output "undefined") the latter actually grew in capacity last year.) But the enduring smog is good news for one section of society: peddlers of antipollution products. The range of prophylactics has grown enormously over the last few years, and ranges from the sensible — such as ever more sophisticated face masks and air purifiers — to the highly dubious, such as antismog herbal teas. Boasting ingredients such as “polygonatum, kumquat, lily, red dates, chrysanthemum and rock candy,” the latter are [claimed](https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.25.FktSzi&id=22257239781&ns=1&abbucket=18 "undefined") by manufacturers to “alleviate the harm to the human body of long-term inhalation of air pollution.” Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners are unimpressed, though; Liu Quanqing, president of the Beijing Hospital of TCM, [told](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38579441 "undefined") China’s state media last month that such concoctions were “unreliable” and “may cause health problems if taken for a long time.”  Passengers walk in the smog at Zhengzhou East Railway Station on Jan. 9, 2017, in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China VCG/Getty Images But it’s not just teas that have dubious efficacy. China’s online trading platform Taobao — the nation’s gargantuan equivalent of eBay and Amazon — is chock-full with bizarre antismog products. There are [antismog windows](https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.47.3nIe4t&id=37116847350&ns=1&abbucket=9 "undefined") and [antismog trees](https://world.taobao.com/item/541336388514.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.bvmYZO#detail "undefined"). For $5,000 you can buy a truck-mounted [antismog water cannon](https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.41.3nIe4t&id=529402571924&ns=1&abbucket=9 "undefined") that drenches particles from the air. Conversely, there is also [antismog incense](https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.56.3nIe4t&id=544126068046&ns=1&abbucket=9 "undefined"), for those who literally want to fight fumes with fumes. For skeptics, face masks and air purifiers remain the preferred choices, and China has made major strides with both. There are masks with [built-in fans](https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.92.3nIe4t&id=544233834725&ns=1&abbucket=9 "undefined"), masks [just for the nose](https://world.taobao.com/item/44010385635.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a230r.1.14.24.iJTi9f&ns=1&abbucket=10 "undefined"), and even couples’ masks especially for [Valentine’s Day](https://world.tmall.com/item/43202912795.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.127.bUfUm1&id=43202912795&ns=1&abbucket=9 "undefined"). For fashionistas, Beijing designer Wang Zhijun [turns](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/07/fashion/sneaker-pollution-mask-designer/ "undefined") high-end sneakers into face masks; one was crafted from a pair of Kanye West–designed, limited edition Adidas Yeezy Boosts that were recently sold online for $10,000. Air purifiers, meanwhile, are becoming cheaper and more efficient. Chinese tech firm Xiaomi leads the way with its Mi Air Purifier Pro, boasting a dual-fan, dual-motor system with “high-precision laser sensor.” “Air purifiers are made not just for smog,” company spokesman Li Zhuoqi tells TIME. “In fact, air purifiers also sell well in countries with generally good air quality as they can filter pollen, dust, airborne germs and eliminate odors.” Xiaomi should know what it’s talking about. Late last month, global vice president Hugo Barra quit the Beijing-based firm to move back to California, [saying](http://bgr.com/2017/01/23/hugo-barra-quits-xiaomi-explanation/ "undefined") that “the last few years of living in such a singular environment have taken a huge toll on my life and started affecting my health.” _— With reporting by Yang Siqi / Sanya, China_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4670174/china-smog-pollution-pmi-environment-facemasks-air-purifiers-taobao/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4670174/china-smog-pollution-pmi-environment-facemasks-air-purifiers-taobao/"},"headline":"Chinese People Are Buying All Kinds of Desperate Remedies to Protect Themselves From Smog","datePublished":"2017-02-14T05:38:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:59:04.367Z","description":"From antipollution tea to smog-busting water cannons, there's a buck to be made from China's smog","url":"https://time.com/4670174/china-smog-pollution-pmi-environment-facemasks-air-purifiers-taobao/","keywords":["Environment","China","Pollution","Smog","products","green","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf998321b963523f9/6988ba3d8fd2ee0955355c9a/gettyimages-631059828.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlie Campbell / Beijing"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf998321b963523f9/6988ba3d8fd2ee0955355c9a/gettyimages-631059828.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Smog Grounds flights And Closes Highways In Jinan","caption":"Smog Grounds flights And Closes Highways In Jinan","creditText":"VCG/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4670174/china-smog-pollution-pmi-environment-facemasks-air-purifiers-taobao/","name":"Chinese People Are Buying All Kinds of Desperate Remedies to Protect Themselves From Smog"}}]}] ```