(PEI XIN)

A tourist takes a picture of Shanghai from the Bund while the city remained shrouded in smog on December 9.

Since December 5, Shanghai, and many other cities around the Yangtze River, have been enveloped in smog. Shanghai in particular saw PM2.5 density surge past 600 micrograms per cubic meter, more than eight times the nation's limit of 75.

A third of government vehicles were taken off the road. Large-scale public activities and sports events were suspended. The haze lasted until December 10.