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There was a time when clear skies in Beijing felt like a surprise,
something worth photographing before it disappeared.
Today, clean air is no longer an exception but a measured trend,
and that shift tells a deeper story about how cities can change course even under pressure.
For today's show, I'm joined by Steve Hathorley and Yushan.
Now pull up a chair and join the conversation.
Air pollution is often framed as an unavoidable cost of growth.
Beijing's experience over the past decade challenges that assumption.
The city's improving air quality is now drawing attention not just at home,
but from urban planners and policymakers around the world.
That all goes back to the year 2013 when China officially declared a war against air pollution.
We use that metaphor a lot, but it's not about fighting like real fights against anything,
it's more about showing how determined we are to win the war instead of really fighting the war.
And fast forward to 2025, we see that the changes really hard to miss,
heavily polluted days have been essentially eliminated,
giving the capital its best air quality on record and achievement.
The UN now calls the Beijing miracle.