Editor's Note: Chongqing Two Sessions are being held. At the first session of the Sixth Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress opened on January 13, Hu Henghua, deputy secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and mayor of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, delivered the government work report. The number of days with good air quality exceeded 300 days annually in the last five years. 

Chongqing - Radiation fog has lately been seen in Tongnan District, located in the northwest of Chongqing, China. The overhead vista is stunning, with the city structures rising in the mist. Radiation fog is a typical natural occurrence rather than the result of air pollution.

 (Video/Yu Fan)

Many netizens are in awe of this fairytale-like scenery in this collection of videos and images that photographer Yu Fan has recorded. A lot of people believe that this type of fog is advection fog. "However, advection fog might relate to the flowing fog in the public’s understanding." Deng Chengzhi, chief forecaster of Chongqing Meteorological Bureau said and added, "In meteorology, advection refers to the cause of formation."

Whether it is advection fog or another type of fog, it will flow due to the wind once it has been formed. The warm, wet airflow produces the advection fog over cold underlying surfaces. It is widespread in coastal locations but uncommon in Chongqing in inland China. The recent fog in Tongnan District should belong to radiation fog. The fog known as radiation fog is formed when water vapor on the surface condenses due to surface radiation cooling.

Whether it is advection fog or radiation fog, it is simply fog rather than haze and is not a result of air pollution but rather a typical natural occurrence. Deng said that haze and fog have different forming mechanisms; water plays a significant role in fog formation, whereas particles create haze. There is no direct link between air pollution and the formation of fog.

In actuality, Chongqing’s air quality has dramatically improved in recent years. Data showed that the forest coverage rate of Chongqing had reached 54.5% and the number of days with good air quality exceeded 300 days per year. The Yangtze River’s main stream in Chongqing typically has outstanding water quality, the region’s energy consumption per unit of GDP has decreased by 16.1% over the past five years, and green businesses account for 20% of the total industrial output.

Chongqing has faithfully pursued the road of ecological priority and green development over the last five years and made significant progress in creating a stunning location with lush mountains and lucid waters. We will continue to support the development of ecological civilization at a significantly higher level over the next five years, uphold the idea of shared conservation rather than extensive growth, and hasten the construction of a stunning region with mountains and rivers.