For residents of Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, half a year of fine weather is something beyond belief, as the industrial city used to be foggy --if not windy or rainy -- all year round.

This year, however, most residents have noticed blue sky more often.

The provincial environmental protection bureau announced this week the air quality in Taiyuan had reached level I or II, representing "excellent" and "fairly good" on the air pollution scale, on 180 days.

The news soon hit the headline of local newspapers and became an important part of citizens' daily conversation.

"I feel like putting on my favorite white shirt," said a college student who claimed he had never worn one since he came to this northern city from his hometown in south China.

Many local people agreed that any light colored clothes normally turn black after a brief walk in the street.

Dust was the biggest headache for the city's cleaners, as they had to repeatedly fight with dust and soot that would shortly cover window panes, sills, furniture and the floor.

In 2000, the city had only 45 clear days, and its sky was always polluted with particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.

The municipal government has set aside a 24-square-kilometer pollution-free area where clean fuel -- gas, electricity and oil --replaced coal and charcoal.

Meanwhile, the government has spent 590 million yuan (71 million US dollars) on the Fenhe River Park, which was turned into a recreational center from a once badly polluted and foul-smelling river in 2000. The park won the 2001 national and 2002 United Nations "Habitat" awards.

The citizens were happy to see more clear days, which increased to 120 days in 2001 and 153 days in 2002.

Taiyuan Mayor Li Ronghuai said in 2002 the city aimed for a "garden city" in 2007, with air pollutants cut by 15 percent annually.

Earlier reports said that Shenyang, a traditional industrial base in the northeastern province of Liaoning, reported excellent or fairly good air quality on 292 days, or 80 percent of the time, this year.

The southwestern municipality Chongqing, which was dubbed as China's foggiest town, has also reported success in curbing air pollution this year, with excellent or fairly good air quality on 219 days of the first eleven months, or 65 percent of the time. 

Editor: Li Guixiang.