BEIJING HAS MOUNTAINS?!?

Today was the first clear-by-American-standards day we've had so far. It was incredible! I could see blue! I could see clouds! I couldn't see the air, which, in China, is really saying something!

Behold! Blue skies! 

Since getting to Beijing, I've gotten into the habit of checking the AQI (the air quality index) every morning before I leave for class. Often, you can get a pretty good idea of what it's going to be just by looking out the window, but it's nice to be able to put some numbers in your head and also to have a way to help you distinguish between smog-fog and fog-fog. 

Today, during one of my 10-minute between-class breaks, I walked outside onto the sixth floor patio and looked around me. Are those... mountains?!

Behold! Mountains! In Beijing! 

Yes, those are mountains, and no, I don't know how to use photoshop. 

Let's hope we get plenty of these low-pollution days, because it would be really cool to make some other similar discoveries!