In Beijing, looking for lungs detox

Nicole C. Wong, a Boston Globe reporter covering the business of travel, returned last week from her first trip to China. The fifth-generation California native spent 16 days meeting with locals and Americans living and working in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. Here's part of her Day 4:

By Nicole C. Wong

BEIJING -- I scampered up the Olympic Park subway station's steps this afternoon, eager to reach the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. But I didn't get there soon enough. The dingy, cotton-thick haze beat me to it.

It muffled my photo-snapping enthusiasm. And it covered my crumpled-up Kleenex with soot-colored snot.

Should have come earlier. Like yesterday. Or the day before that. Both boasted gorgeous, cloudless blue skies. But who can predict when the air will suddenly look like month-old mashed potatoes?

Since China's capital slipped out of the world spotlight -- and away from its Herculean efforts to unclutter the air for the Games by closing factories, halting construction, and removing half of the cars from the roads -- the air quality has bounced between looking a bit better or far worse than what you'd suck up in Los Angeles.

That makes sightseeing tough. Many of the must-see attractions are outdoors. The Forbidden City's gold floral embellishments and brightly brushed roof eaves glow dimmer when swaddled by the dreary air.

The haze of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other microparticles that can cause health problems also sway the vacation plans of China's residents.

Just ask Jack. The 31-year-old university student and Beijing tour guide has met visitors from all over the world, so he's picked up plenty of ideas on where to go when he takes his first trip outside of China. Once he saves up enough money to fly to the United States, he's heading straight for Spokane, Wash.

Say what? Not San Francisco? What about New York? Or even Seattle? I mean, even I've never thought of stopping by Spokane.

He doesn't have any loved ones in Spokane. Nor does he know its big claim to fame -- being the hometown of Bing Crosby. But it's still alluring. "It's not a big city," he said. "There's fresh air!"

That kind of thinking spreads as fast as the smog does.

Kellie, my 30-year-old American pal who moved from Los Angeles to Shanghai almost six months ago, is vacationing next week in Lijiang. That ancient town, set against the glacial Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, has been named an UNESCO World Heritage site for melodically melding architectural styles from various cultures across many centuries. But before I was aware of Lijiang's beauty and prestige, I wondered why she picked that spot.

"Clean air," she replied. "It's like lungs detox."