Sand and dust envelop Beijing West railway station on Monday. Strong winds have blown large amounts of sand and dust across North China. Photo: VCG

The sky above Beijing’s Shijingshan district turned yellow. Air pollution in the capital soared to a hazardous level with the hourly reading of PM10 concentration reaching 999 micrograms per cubic meter. Photo: The Paper

The sun emits a pale glow through the pollution in Beijing. Photo: Ye Xueming/Caixin

A pedestrian waits on the roadside Monday in Hohhot, North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Visibility in parts of the city fell to less than 1,000 meters due to the sand and dust in the air. Photo: VCG

Residents walk on the street wearing masks in Hohhot. Photo: VCG

Pedestrians cross a road in Hohhot. The city’s PM10 concentration measured above 120 micrograms per cubic meter at 3 p.m. Monday, reaching an unhealthy level. Photo: VCG

Sand and dust shroud the sky over Hohhot. Photo: VCG

Sand and dust obscure the sky over the northern Chinese municipality of Tianjin on Monday. The PM10 concentration reached hazardous levels in the city, measuring as high as 759 micrograms per cubic meter as of 3 p.m. Photo: VCG