GoKunming Forums

Are Face Masks a must in Kunming?

Breinhow (13 posts) • 0

Are most of you wearing face masks when you walk about in Kunming? Is the air quality very bad?

Are there places in Kunming to purchase good, quality face masks?

Liumingke1234 (3297 posts) • +2

It's not all about the air quality. Usually it's the women that wear these masks. They don't want to expose their faces to the sun. They want to stay as 'white' as possible for their beauty.

debaser (647 posts) • +2

I'd wear a mask for cycling or moderate outdoor exercise but they're not required otherwise. If you look at the poution levels (AQI) they are quite high compared to most places in Europe or America but they are nothing compared to many other places in China.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • +4

I only wear a mask when cycling on major roads (dirty diesel trucks and road dust are the biggest issues), or on the few (fewer this year) high AQI days. You can buy good masks in Decathlon, but Taobao is probably your best/cheapest bet.

michael2015 (784 posts) • +3

I wear surgical-ish facemasks when:

1. I have a cold and don't want to share.
2. Other(s) have colds and want to share.

AlexKMG (2387 posts) • 0

Your daily life in Kunming won't involve wearing a mask unless you have a medical condition or your residence is unlucky enough to be in a new construction zone with dust everywhere and trucks everywhere, that's only likely on the very outskirts of Kunming or Chenggong.

sanfranciscoguy888 (26 posts) • +1

When driving around the city with the car windows open, I often felt like I wish I had a face mask.

You'll be fine walking around off the main streets, but if you're stuck in traffic in downtown for a couple hours, you can definitely feel the pollution getting in your lungs. I could feel it making me cough a little bit when we did do a lot of driving around in the city. Next time I'm back, I'll remember to stow a face mask in my backpack for when I may need it, though its very uncomfortable for me.

dolphin (509 posts) • -3
Comment hidden by user downvote Click to expand

Face masks might keep dust out, but I doubt it will keep particulate matter out of the lungs.

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