China's meteorological authorities have warned that China will see more smog due to El Nino this coming winter.
As many choose air purifiers for indoors, a Dutch artist has offered an eccentric solution which may offer people, especially children, a chance to breathe clean air outdoors.
Daan Roosegaarde brought his newly designed Smog Free Tower which he said was inspired by Chinese temples, to Beijing earlier this week.
The tower contains an air-purifying machine that catches PM 2.5 particles, the main component of smog.
The machine would turn the particles to black powder and breathe out cleaner air.
Roosegaarde says the tower "exhales" air that is 75% cleaner.
He says he hopes that people will be inspired by the tower and share creative thinking with countries that are grappling with heavy pollution.
The idea for the tower was inspired by a visit to Beijing three years ago when he saw the view outside his window blocked by the thick gray haze.
According to the latest report from WHO, China is the world's deadliest country for outdoor air pollution.
Government researchers have linked the pollution to higher rates of lung cancer and on particularly bad days, schools keep children inside during playtimes.
Turn smog to rings
Roosegaarde's team don't dump the particles that the tower collects, instead they are turned into rings.
The rings have helped to fund the building of the smog free towers.
Roosegaarde claims that by buying the recycled smog jewelry, people donate 1000 cubic meters of clean air to the city.
The tower began running in Beijing one week ahead of its formal unveiling.
It will also be shown in other Chinese cities in the coming year, including the central city of Hebei and the southern commercial center of Shenzhen.
