China’s ‘airpocalyse’ reducing visitors
Beijing After Rain Beijing on a Normal Sunny Day
China’s problems with pollution seem to be increasing:
The “airpocalypse” is keeping tourists away from China
The number of foreign visitors to Beijing fell by 15 percent this year
By Lindsay Abrams…From January to June, the total number of foreign visitors, including business travelers and residents, entering China declined by 5 percent to just under 13 million compared with the same period last year, according to the China National Tourism Administration. Overall, visitors from Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas all declined.
In Beijing, with major attractions including the Great Wall and the Imperial Palace, the drop is even more striking. The number of foreign tourists visiting the Chinese capital fell by 15 percent in the first six months of the year to 1.9 million, according to the Beijing Tourism Administration. http://www.salon.com/2013/08/13/airpocalypse_is_keeping_tourists_away_from_china/singleton/
Chinese data points usually skew upwards, at least in absolute numbers. More cars, more factories, more houses (whether needed or not). Not so in tourism: the number of foreigners coming to China took a sudden fall in the first half of 2013. The Associated Press reports that overall arrivals dropped by 5% to just under 13 million in the year to June 30. This figure includes tourists, residents and business travellers; China, the third largest destination for travellers after France and the U.S., saw a drop in arrivals from all regions. What happened to drive away the masses? Try eye-stinging air pollution in January that sent particle monitors at the U.S. embassy in Beijing into ‘crazy-bad’ territory for weeks on end, a spectacle captured and relayed by Chinese and Western media to a world that recognises a gross-out when it sees it.
Air pollution wasn’t the only bad news emanating from China. There was international coverage of a virulent bird flu outbreak, dead pigs floating in Shanghai’s Huangpu river and, according to China National Tourism Administration, the impact of a stronger Chinese currency (hmm, that old Washington bugbear). But the biggest hit seems to have been the so-called ‘Airpocalypse’ that suffocated much of northern China in January, a time when tourists are planning spring and summer holidays. Why bother going to see the Great Wall when it’s shrouded in yellow fog? http://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmontlake/2013/08/13/chinas-crazy-bad-air-pollution-deters-tourists-and-traders/
BEIJING — China, one of the most visited countries in the world, has seen sharply fewer tourists this year — with worsening air pollution partly to blame.
Numbers of foreign visitors have declined following January’s “Airpocalypse,” when already eye-searing levels of smog soared to new highs.
Tourists have been put off by news about smog and other problems, said Frano Ilic of travel agency Studiosus in Munich, Germany. He said the number of people booking trips to China through his company has fallen 16 per cent this year.
“You are reading about smog. You are reading about political things,” said Ilic. “All the news which is coming from China concerning the non-touristic things are bad, frankly speaking,” http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Great+Wall+enough+attract+tourists+China+numbers+sharply+fall/8782308/story.html
The government of China has announced steps to try to reduce some of its air pollution, but until they are visibly effective, many simply do not want to go to China.
Yet, China’s pollution is not limited to air pollution. China also has major problems with land and water pollution. But as tourists can drink bottled water and move around on the land, those types of pollution tend to be less of a concern. However, since tourists basically must breathe the same air as others, the Chinese air pollution does affect them. Furthermore, if the air is bad for tourists and other visitors, how much is it for the health of those who live in various parts of China permanently?
China’s problems with air, water, and other pollution are harming the health of many of its residents. Residents who already have serious concerns about the government itself and many of its policies. The time may come when an incident tied to government corruption and pollution will become a rallying cry for revolution in China.
Because of pollution, economic policies, other problems, its serious potential for significant social unrest, and how it is discussed in biblical prophecy, these factors demonstrate that despite its economic gains, the 21st century will not belong to China. China will not become number 1, but later in this century, neither will the USA.
The following passage which involves the second coming of Jesus ends with an interesting statement:
8 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18)
Are not massive air, water, and other pollution problems part of how humankind is destroying the earth?
Jesus will need to return to save humanity from destroying itself (Matthew 24:22).
But when?
We in the Continuing Church of God believe that God gave humans 6,000 years to live their own way (please see the article Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism and a 6000 Year Plan?). And that humans will mess things up so bad, “unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22). And that 6,000 years is close to being up–and probably will be in the next decade or so.
But because God has a plan for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:38) and a God of love (1 John 4:8,16; John 3:16), that He will intervene and send Jesus to establish a millennial kingdom on earth (Revelation 11:15; 20:4). During this 1000 year reign the world will become beautiful again (Isaiah 35:1-10; 58:12) (see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).
After this thousand year reign, all who ever lived will be resurrected (Revelation 20:5). The judgment will begin (Revelation 20:12) and God will plead His case (Isaiah 3:13; Jeremiah 25:31). When humans see how they started out with a very good and beautiful earth and messed up and nearly completely destroyed it in their 6,000 years, it appears that they will realize that humankind that distanced itself from the true God cannot properly govern itself. However, when they see how when starting with a messed up and nearly completely destroyed earth at the end of the 6,000 years (please see the article Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?), that it was restored to being very good again, like Eden (Isaiah 51:3), because people obeyed the King of Kings during the millennium (please see Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?), then apparently nearly all who ever lived will repent of their ways, accept Jesus as the Christ, and will live God’s way of life.
Since God is love (1 John 4:16), we in the Continuing Church of God believe that He has a plan that takes into account how human beings would have rebelled against Him (cf. 1 Peter 1:20-21). We also believe that God is smart enough to have developed a plan that does not result in the vast majority of humanity having to suffer endless torment. Thus we believe it is logical that His plan will result in nearly everyone who ever lived, no matter what their religion or background was, to be saved. And that there are hundreds of verses in the Bible that show this—and this is God’s will (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16-17). This plan is also consistent with writings about Christianity throughout history—though most in modern times seem to wish to overlook that fact. And a little known fact is that there are hundreds of verses in the Bible that show this (documentation is in the article Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis).
And this will be good news, not only for the Chinese, but for all of humanity.
Some articles of interest may include the following:
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English.
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon? A YouTube video of interest may be Is China THE Threat to the United States of America?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy?
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it? Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2019 or 202x?
What is the Gospel? True religion should be based upon the true gospel. What are some of the different gospels and where did they come from? Do you believe the true or a false gospel?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account?
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
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