The Jin Mao Tower and Pollution

In Shanghai, there's an impressive new building piercing the skyline: the Jin Mao Tower, an 88-story skyscraper in the new Pu Dong district- the financial core of the city. Its design recalls the form of tall pagodas, and its ornamentation speaks of the industrialization of China. From the top, one can see a 360 panorama of the city, marked with skyscrapers in every direction. Berlin times 10. On a clear day like today, you can even see the blue edge of the East China Sea.

Out on my aunt's balcony, you can see a similar panorama of the city, except looking towards Pu Dong and the Jin Mao. However, I've noticed that when the wind doesn't blow away the smog at night, the Jin Mao along with most of the other buildings disappear from the skyline underneath a thick layer of brownish-grey smog. Normally, a society prides itself on the objects that it produces. The irony is however is this: at the peak of its productive capacity, its own toxic exhaust obliterates the view of these objects. In other words, the more we produce, the more we're unable to enjoy the things we produce."