Beijing residents woke up Saturday, March 20 to find the Chinese capital covered in a film of yellow dust. A powerful sandstorm blew sand into Beijing from China’s drought-stricken north. Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Xinjiang, Shanxi, Shaanxi provinces were also affected by the sandstorm.China’s national weather bureau told people to stay indoors, and if forced to go outside, to keep their mouths closed, explaining that the air quality would have an adverse effect on people’s health.
