Chengdu - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Bad. Chengdu is in a basin. The bad air stagnates through the year. We had serious health issues (respiratory) due to the air quality and two members of the family lost their medical clearances (cutting the tour short). - Aug 2017
Air quality in Chengdu is not good. The average AQI here is 150-200 (very unhealthy). Unlike Beijing, which has very drastic changes in air quality with extremely good days and extremely bad days, Chengdu sits in a basin, so the smog tends to sit right above the city. The pollution rarely gets dangerously bad like in Beijing, but when the air is bad, it takes a long time to clear out. People with a history of breathing problems or asthma should probably not come here. - May 2016
It's China, the air is terrible. It's the usual China pollution plus Chengdu is situated in a valley so the air stagnates, especially in winter. - Aug 2013
Terrible. This is by far one of the worst problems when one talks about living in Chengdu. Last month, Chengdu was the 4th most polluted city in the country- Beijing came in about 18. Definitely consider it when thinking about moving here. - May 2013
