Catalog

At the museum housing the PRC’s largest collection of stone tablets, some dating back 2,000 years, Director of Preservation Ma Yong Zhong is concerned.

He points to cracks in the stone lion guarding this former Confucius Temple and says, “Acid rain caused these and contributed to other parts falling off. Such pollution is a serious problem in Xi’an and has caused more damage in the last few years than during the preceding centuries.”

Acid rain has also damaged the 600-year-old bridges over the moat surrounding the inner city of this ancient capital.

“The air pollution used to be worse and bridges like this were eroded to the point where they had to be repaired,” says Wang Chongmin, a senior official with the executing agency implementing an environmental protection project financed by ADB.

The world-famous terra-cotta warriors, 40 kilometers (km) outside Xi’an, are also threatened. Digging at the site of the Qin Dynasty tombs was halted when some excavated works turned black after being exposed to the air.

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When Xi’an was the Han imperial residence, it marked the beginning of the Silk Road that wound through Central Asia and the Middle East to the Mediterranean.

Today, it is also a major industrial city with a 3.7-million population. Air pollution, caused largely by coal burning, is eroding the nation’s cultural heritage and harming people’s health.

But all this is changing as the city undertakes an ambitious program to encourage industry to switch to heating systems fueled by steam rather than coal-fired boilers.

Under the first phase of the program, two steam-producing cogeneration plants are already operating in Xi’an’s western suburbs, which cover a quarter of the city. Under the second phase, ADB is financing two more plants that are due to be commissioned by the end of 2002.

The $81 million ADB project will enable some 70 factories, as well as commercial establishments and households, to switch to the cleaner fuel and replace about 100 small and inefficient coal-fired boilers.

“This will reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide by more than 60% in the western suburbs,” says Wang Shuancang, Director of the Project Management Office.

Wang adds that some firms may be unhappy about the costs of converting to steam, but he says the local government is committed to improving the health of the city’s residents.

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Xi’an Chemical Company has already made the switch to steam. “Nothing comes out of those chimneys today,” says Deputy Director Di Yaning, standing before tall chimneys that used to spill ash over the surrounding area. “At first we were upset to switch to steam because we had just repaired our coal-fired boiler. But today I can say that steam heating is better for the environment and also more convenient and cheaper for us.”

At a nearby playground, women and children certainly appreciate the change in air quality.

Cui Linyun, who is taking care of her 3-year-old grandchild, says, “We moved here a year ago and found this district relatively unpolluted, except for one plastic factory. Later, I used to have a sore throat and my grandchild was susceptible to colds. But now we feel better.”

Other beneficiaries include those who have converted to steam heating inside their homes. An ADB report says switching from coal dramatically reduces indoor levels of carbon monoxide, particulates, and sulfur dioxide—with women and children benefiting the most.

“Our coal stove used to be where the coffee table is and the carbon monoxide gave us coughs and headaches and made the walls dirty,” says Jiang Zhicheng, a retiree of Xi’an Chemical Factory, sitting in the living room of his modest apartment. Adds his wife, Zhou Fengyun, “We are relieved the air is cleaner, especially for the sake of our grandson.”

Schools have also reported that fewer children are reporting sick these days. Says Lin Ying, a teacher at Ye Gin Primary School, “The pollution used to be much worse. The children had more colds and stayed home more often. Sometimes when one child gets sick, others become infected, too. The air is still polluted, but it is improving all the time.”

Xi’an is clearly making headway in its efforts to safeguard its future as well as preserve its past.

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