2013-10-21

One of the big stories out of China today is the smog disaster in Harbin, the capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province, home to around 11 million people.

According to Reuters, an index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin. More than 300 is considered "hazardous," and the city has been forced to shut down schools, airports and buses because of the air.

One way to check out the daily life of people living in Harbin is through the Instagram tag "Harbin," which shows images and videos of life in a city shut down by smog.

Here's a small selection:

While Weibo may be a more popular sharing tool in China, Instagram is gaining popularity in the country, despite the fact that its parent company, Facebook, is blocked.

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