The northern Chinese city that has pinned its hopes on the solar power industry tops China’s “most-polluted” list.

对太阳能发电产业寄予厚望的华北城市，在中国“污染最严重城市”榜单上位居首位。

Baoding, home to Yingli Solar, the world’s second-largest solar panel maker¹, was the most polluted among the 74 cities on an environment ministry² list published on Monday.

全球第二大太阳能电池板制造商英利集团(Yingli Solar)总部所在的保定，在中国环保部周一发表的74个城市空气质量状况报告中，被列为空气污染最严重的城市。The northern Chinese city that has pinned its hopes on the solar power industry tops China’s “most-polluted” list.

对太阳能发电产业寄予厚望的华北城市，在中国“污染最严重城市”榜单上位居首位。

Baoding, home to Yingli Solar, the world’s second-largest solar panel maker, was the most polluted among the 74 cities on an environment ministry list published on Monday.

全球第二大太阳能电池板制造商英利集团(Yingli Solar)总部所在的保定，在中国环保部周一发表的74个城市空气质量状况报告中，被列为空气污染最严重的城市。

Six others in the top 10 are in Hebei, the industrialised province that rings Beijing, where the government is struggling to cut the smog that envelops³ the capital routinely.

除保定外，空气污染最严重的前10位城市中，还有6个来自于环绕北京的河北省。北京市政府正竭力驱散经常笼罩中国首都的雾霾。

In 2010, Baoding, 150km southwest of Beijing, was designated a low-carbon pilot, targeting urban growth without reliance on coal-fuelled heavy industry. Its roads are lined with solar-powered street lights, reflecting the importance to the local economy of the panel manufacturing industry.

2010年，地处北京西南方向150公里外的保定，被指定开展低碳试点项目，力求做到在不依赖需要燃煤的重工业的情况下推进城市发展。该市的路灯是太阳能供电的，反映出太阳能电池板制造业对当地经济的重要性。

Overall, 90 per cent of the cities surveyed fell short of pollution targets, the ministry said. Eight managed to do so, an improvement on last year, when three hit the targets.

中国环保部表示，总体而言，被调查的城市有90%空气质量不达标。8个城市达标，比上一年度只有3个城市达标的“成绩”好一些。

The smog that blankets Chinese cities is becoming a source of public discontent, and the government has announced a series of targets and policies to reduce industrial and vehicle pollution in the most populous⁴ and prosperous centres. But orders to curb⁵ heavy industry are countered by strong government support for companies that are often the biggest local taxpayers⁶ and employers.

覆盖中国城市的雾霾正成为公众不满情绪的源头之一，政府已宣布了一系列目标和政策，力求在最繁荣、人口最多的中心城市减少工业和机动车污染。但是，遏制重工业的指令，在一定程度上被政府对此类企业（它们往往是当地最大的纳税人和雇主）的大力扶持所抵消。

Average levels of PM2.5, or fine particulate⁷ matter, stood at 93 micrograms per cubic metre last year in the region covering Hebei and Beijing, the ministry said. That level is “good” in the Chinese air quality grading system, although it is well above the national target of 35 micrograms. The US Environmental Protection Agency target is an annual average of 15 micrograms, with the level in any 24 hours averaging no more than 35 micrograms.

中国环保部称，京津冀区域去年PM2.5（即细颗粒物）年均浓度为每立方米93微克。按照中国的空气质量分级制度，这一水平属于“良好”，尽管它远高于35微克的国家指标。美国环保局(EPA)的指标是年均15微克，而且在任一24小时期间的平均浓度均不超过35微克。

Spurred by the US embassy’s decision to tweet the readings of an air quality monitor on its roof, China now publishes data for most of its largest cities but is sensitive about poor results.

在美国驻华大使馆决定通过Twitter发布其楼顶上的空气质量监测器读数的推动下，中国目前发布多数大城市的空气质量数据，但对于糟糕的结果比较敏感。

The developers of a popular smartphone app that compares readings from the US embassy with government data were ordered to stop including the embassy figures in the lead-up to November’s Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting. They have not been allowed to resume the comparison.

在去年11月北京举行亚太经合组织(APEC)会议前夕，一个比较美国大使馆读数与中国官方数据的热门智能手机应用的开发商，被勒令停止囊括美国大使馆的读数。他们至今没有获准恢复上述比较。

Ironically, US embassy readings were often lower than the city’s official readings during the Apec meeting.

讽刺的是，在APEC会议期间，美国大使馆的读数常常低于北京市的官方数据。

Baoding’s new status is bad news for the think-tanks and secondary government institutions the central government plans to relocate there to reduce congestion⁸ and pollution in Beijing.

保定的新地位对中国中央政府计划迁至该市的智库和二级政府机构来说是个坏消息。该计划的目的是减轻北京的交通拥堵和污染。