The ambient air quality of North China's Shanxi province was greatly improved in 2021. 

The three atmospheric binding indicators in Shanxi have exceeded the targets set by the State.

The proportion of days with good air quality in the province was 72.1 percent, an increase of 1.1 percentage points year-on-year and 3.6 percentage points more than the national target.

The average concentration of PM2.5 – particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less that can invade even the smallest airways – was 39 micrograms per cubic meter, down 15.2 percent year-on-year and 7 micrograms per cu m less than the national target. 

According to the Shanxi Department of Ecology and Environment, the average concentration of PM2.5 achieved a historic breakthrough in the past year, and the number of cities with an average annual concentration of PM2.5 that reached the standard increased to four from the previous two.

In addition, the annual average concentration of sulfur dioxide achieved a decrease of over 20 percent for four consecutive years, and the annual average concentration of nitrogen dioxide in 11 cities across Shanxi all reached the standard for the first time. 

Over the past year, Shanxi has coordinated and promoted pollution prevention and control and strengthened governance in key areas and industries to improve the air quality. 

The province also completed the ultra-low emission transformation of 22 iron and steel complexes, 11 coking enterprises and eight cement enterprises.

Furthermore, an additional 993,100 households in the province adopted clean heating, 20,309 diesel trucks operating under the National III emission standard and below were eliminated, ozone emissions were reduced in the summer, and air pollution was brought under control in autumn and winter.