When Chinese student Yang Shuping described how she ditched her five pollution masks upon discovering the "oddly luxurious" air of the United States, she drew a fierce online backlash, indignant newspaper columns and even a rebuttal from her hometown. On Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency's English-language Twitter account broadcast a live-stream from Kunming, with two reporters interviewing passersby about air quality and whether they wore pollution masks. China's foreign ministry also weighed in, saying it was aware the issue was being widely discussed online, and that any Chinese citizen should "make remarks responsibly".



More...