The skies over Beijing changed colour as an unprecedented dust storm hit the Chinese capital on Monday. The China Meteorological Administration has since issued a yellow alert, as the sandstorms came from Inner Mongolia to the provinces of Gansu, Shanxi, and Hebei.
At the moment, the air quality index in Beijing has reached a maximum of 500, with the amount of PM10 (particles with a diameter of 10 microns or less, so they are inhalable into the lungs) surpassing 8,000 micrograms per cubic metre in some areas.
Netizens posted numerous photos and videos on social media, depicting the situation in the city, showing the yellow sky and pointing out the harsh environmental situation.
Some users compared the pictures to sci-fi movies and even made memes using footage from the sandstorm-hit city.