Beijing — A tourist wears a mask while looking out at the Forbidden City as pollution covers Beijing in mid-January.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images AsiaPac

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Beijing -, CHINA — Chinese tourists wear face masks as they visit Tiananmen Gate and the portrait of Mao Tse-tung during heavy air pollution in Beijing on January 30.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: MARK RALSTON / AFP

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A couple wearing protective masks poses for a self-portrait amid a thick smoggy haze on Tiananmen Square.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Ng Han Guan / Associated Press

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A little girl wears a mask with a cartoon theme in Tiananmen Square during severe pollution in Beijing on January 29.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images

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Beijing — Chinese paramilitary police officers march during the flag-raising ceremony amid severe pollution at Tiananmen Square on Tuesday in Beijing.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images AsiaPac

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Beijing — Smog is still apparent even at night Wednesday on a busy road in Beijing.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: HOW HWEE YOUNG / EPA

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Beijing — A man wears a mask as he rides a bicycle on the streets of Beijing on Tuesday.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images AsiaPac

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Beijing — A billboard at Beijing's landmark building is seen during severe pollution Wednesday. The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in one month has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory illnesses and prompted calls for legislation to curb pollution.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images AsiaPac

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Beijing — A panda sculpture is seen during severe pollution on Jan. 23 in Beijing. The air quality in the city hit serious levels again Wednesday.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images AsiaPac

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Beijing — A man walks on a frozen lake during severe pollution Wednesday. The haze choking many Chinese cities covers a total area of 1.3 million square kilometers, the China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images AsiaPac

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Beijing — A motorcyclist passes by a power station amid severe pollution Tuesday in Beijing.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Lintao Zhang / Getty Images AsiaPac

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