CRI听力:Severe Smog Sparks Rise in Respiratory Health Cases

Beijing Children's Hospital has seen the number of sick children increase following days of air pollution in the city.

Jiang Ziyu is a nine year old girl.

"My hands are red, my body has had a strange reaction too. I am coughing a lot and my stomach is not well."

But for children like Jiang there is some relief in sight.

The weather forecasts say a cold front swept across the north of the country Monday night and has helped to reduce the haze which has covered the region.

The Beijing Municipal Government removed its orange-colour early warning on fog and haze on Tuesday after sleet from the cold front fell across the city.

Besides the light snowfall, the reduction in the number of private vehicles on the roads also helped to improve air quality.

The PM 2.5 index in Beijing has reduced nearly 10 folds to around 100, indicating that air quality has improved.

The wave of pollution peaked on Saturday with off-the-charts levels which shrouded Beijing's skyscrapers in a thick gray haze.

Expected to last through Tuesday, it was the severest smog since the government began releasing figures on PM 2.5 particles last year.