Shorter incense, more holidays: Beijing lawmakers scramble for smog solution

Religious personnages advised people to burn shorter incense at temples and more holidays are being considered for Beijing students on smog days as Beijing begins its annual "two sessions" on Friday.

Smog continued to be the buzzword at the "two sessions", each of the Municipal People's Congress, the local legislature, and the Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a local political advisory body.

"I call on our fellow followers to take actions to follow the call of the society, and make concerted efforts to clean our air," said Hu Xuefeng, host of Beijing's renowned Yonghe Lamasery.

In China, believers visit religious sites to offer incense to deities and pray for blessings. The lamasery began providing "environmentally friendly incense" free of charge and barred visitors from bringing their own incense in late 2013.

The free incense is shorter in size and made from pinewood and cedarwood flour and other natural materials.

"Followers and visitors to the lamasery have stopped burning long and strong-smelling incenses. I call on other temples to also participate in the clean-air efforts," said Hu.

There have been heated discussions over how to prevent children from the harm of foul air.

Several members of the local political advisory body proposed that air purifiers shall be put in classrooms and schools.

Xian Lianping, director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and local political advisor, said special research committees have been set up to study the effect of smog on schools.

It is making specific plans to putting air purifiers at existing school facilities and setting up standards on future school purifying facilities.

Xian said the period for winter and summer holidays will be adjusted to "allow students to attend school on clear days, and stay at home on smoggy days".

Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering measures to keep half the city's cars off the roads during the winter heating season, when coal-fired municipal heating tends to cause a lot of smog. Endi