Fresh Air for Sale in smog-hit Beijing



   

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Chinese entrepreneur sells canned fresh air in smog-hit Beijing

     

 

Smog descends on Beijing, China (Picture: Getty)

Making the most of a bad situation is a good indicator when it comes to sorting your Del Boys from your Lord Alan Sugars.
So when toxic fog hit northern China this month, innovative Chinese entrepreneur Chen Guangbiao saw there was money to be made from his unique brand of canned fresh-air.

Pollution is a major problem in China (Picture: EPA)

He began selling the fresh air after a rapid rise in the concentration of harmful PM 2.5 particulates, causing a layer of thick caustic air to descend on Beijing.
As one of China’s most valuable individuals, with an estimated fortune of $740million (£470million), the business tycoon clearly knows a deal when he sees one.
‘If we don’t start caring for the environment then after 20 or 30 years our children and grandchildren might be wearing gas masks and carry oxygen tanks,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

A couple chat on the Victoria Harbor waterfront in Hong Kong (Picture: EPA)

‘I’ve worked in environmental protection industry for a decade … and I bear witness to the fact that pollution is getting worse and worse.
’2012 did not bring the end of the world but if human beings keep consuming resources, keep polluting the environment, I think Doomsday will arrive.’

Thick smoke billows from a chemical plant Hubei Province (Picture: EPA)

The extremely high pollution levels caused hundreds of flights in and out of the Chinese capital to be cancelled this week due to poor visibility.
And for the Chinese citizens forced to walk around in gas masks, the canned fresh air is available to buy from ¥5 (50p).