Some worry about the quality of the drinking water in China, others fear the choking smog of the cities, still more are concerned about the inevitable collapse of their real-estate bubble; but none of these compare to the Gansu Province (in the Northwest of China) strongest sandstorm since at least 1996 that turned day into night Wednesday afternoon.
As The Telegraph reports [4],
A strong sandstorm swept Gansu Province in northwest China on Wednesday, reducing visibility to less than 65ft, according to the provincial meteorological center.
The sandstorm, the strongest since 1996 according to reports, started in the early afternoon in Dunhuang County.
"Suddenly it became dark and I can't tell whether it's day or night," said one resident.
"My nose hurts and I can't open my eyes," another resident said.
The Jiuquan City Meteorological Center, which includes Dunhuang, issued a sandstorm red alert, the highest level alert, forecasting that visibility would be reduced to less than 164ft throughout Jiuquan on Wednesday evening.
Of course, the US has its share of sandstorms - here is Phoneix in 2011...