There seem to be three big trends on weibo this year: sex, the lack of empathy in China, and the hazardous living conditions people are subjected to in the Middle Kingdom. The latest buzz falls into the two latter categories: China’s netizens are huffing about the fact that China’s officials don’t breathe the same air as the people.
A recent New York Times article detailed the extent of the privileges enjoyed by officials, including organic food, top medical care, and yes, clean air, despite Beijing’s ever-present looming haze. The article states that “the homes and offices of many top leaders are filtered by high-end devices, at least according to a Chinese company, the Broad Group, which has been promoting its air-purifying machines in advertisements that highlight their ubiquity in places where many officials work and live.” As you may expect, China’s netizens are not amused.
And neither are we! But the one thing we aren’t is defeatist, and as you can see in this TedX video, there is a simple, inexpensive way to get some clean air of your own (Thanks to Lin Zhong from the Fig Tree and B.O.C.A. for the lead!). According to Nasa, All you need is the following three plants for each 10 square feet (or 100 square feet if that’s how you measure)
1) Areca Palm (chrysalidocarpus lutescens) Chinese name: SAN-WEI-KUI (spread tail sunflower) or HUANG YE ZI (yellow coconut)
2) Mother-in-law’s Tongue / Snake Plant / (sansevieria trifasciata) Chinese name: HU WEI LAN (tiger tail orchid) or HU PI LAN (tiger skin orchid)
3) Golden Pothos (epipremnum aureum) Chinese name: LU LUO (green luo) or HUANG JIN GE (yellow gold ge)
Here’s pictures of all three!
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Happy breathing!
This article is excerpted from thebeijinger.com.
