This is the SOUND OF TIDES waterfall on the Beijiushui Scenic River in Shandong Province, China. It is part of a 176 square mile nature preserve which includes Mount Lao, China's tallest coastal mountain. It was the dry season when this was taken. During the rainy season, the water makes the roar of the ocean.
So, what's the story on pollution in China? I would be the first to admit I've seen Beijing with visibility down to 100 yards (meters), I have also seen that type pollution in Los Angeles around LA's Olympics in early 80's. It should be noted that India has 12 cities that are consistently worse than Beijing.
Where's all the pollution come from? The European and American Industrial Revolutions both generated massive pollution. China is in their Industrial Revolution, now. Many folks fail to understand that when Europe and America outsourced their manufacturing to China, they also outsourced the pollution associated with manufacturing in the West.
Another source is that soft coal (much more smoky than hard coal) is used to supply heat to entire cities. The Chinese government provides heated water for use in radiators and heaters all winter in cities. The hard coal is used for industry.
As a photographer, I can say it's easy to frame a scene to show the good or bad. There are large areas of pristine wilderness in China and people carry water jugs to the Beijiushui River to take home for drinking water. I am not able to say western media has shown a balanced view of the pollution issues or provided usable perspective on the matter.
I have a more extensive treatment of the topic with several dozen photos at my You Tube Channel, RAZOR'S EDGE.
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