Participants forming a record-large 'lung' in Beijing on November 15, 2015. (Photo/Beijing Youth Daily)
(ECNS) -- A Guinness World Record attempt to promote awareness for lung health has stirred controversy for bringing hundreds of people outside for hours on a smoggy day in Beijing.
About 1,500 people from non-profit organizations and colleges participated in the event at the Garden Expo Park in Beijing's Fengtai District on Sunday, setting a world record for forming the largest image of a lung.
Preparation started at around 12:30 a.m. when participants were handed props and led to designated locations. After several adjustments under the instruction of a Guinness judge, the lung formation record was finally endorsed at 3 p.m. based on video and photos.
An organizer surnamed Chen said the activity was to promote awareness of lung health ahead of World COPD Day, which falls on the third Sunday of November every year. "There's not a huge expense and participants are mainly volunteers," said Chen.
However, some have questioned the meaning of such an event, which was held in smoggy weather. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center classified Sunday as "heavily polluted" and advised residents to avoid outdoor activities.
"Why would an activity to promote lung health be held on such a bad day for lung health?" a participant asked, adding that she was even told to take off her mask during the event.
In response, Chen said the event involved too many parties. The date was set over a month ago and could not be changed arbitrarily.
This is not the only Guinness record set by China to come under question recently. Just weeks ago, the eastern city of Yangzhou was stripped off a world record for the largest bowl of stir-fried rice after it was discovered that some of the rice was wasted.
A survey led by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily shows that Chinese people are concerned about the country's world record zeal, with 43.8 percent of respondents saying that records based only on scale of participation or large expenses are meaningless.
