Without any previous notice, a documentary dominated headlines and social websites over the weekend.

　　没有一点毫无征兆，上周的头条和热门网站就被一部纪录片刷了屏。

　　Under the Dome, a 103-minute documentary self-funded by former news anchor Chai Jing, was released on video-sharing websites in China on Feb 28. It has rapidly pushed the public awareness about air pollution and encouraged people to join in efforts to make a difference.

　　这部103分钟的纪录片名为《穹顶之下》，于2月28日登上中国各大视频网站，它是由前央视新闻调查记者柴静自费拍摄制作。影片一经发布就迅速引起公众对于空气污染的关注，也鼓励了人们要有所行动。

　　Chai, 39, said she started the work out of her “personal clashes” with smog after she gave birth to a daughter. “I sealed tight all the windows. I started every day by checking the air pollution index,” Chai said. Millions of other people are also doing the same. While they stop there, Chai goes deeper. “I don’t want to live in this way. I need to find out where the smog comes from and what on earth is going on.”

　　今年39岁的柴静在女儿出生后开始着手拍摄此片，称其为一个母亲和雾霾的“私人恩怨”。她说：“我把所有的窗户都封起来。每天起床的第一件事就是查看当天的空气污染指数。”其实，成千上百万人和她做着同样的事情，只不过他们止步于此，而柴静做了更多，她说，“我不想这样活着。我想知道这些雾霾到底从哪儿来，到底发生了什么？”

　　Over a year, she investigated polluted sites to find the sources of smog, visited the US and the UK to learn about their anti-pollution experiences, and interviewed officials, scientists and the general public.

　　一年间，她深入污染地区调查雾霾的来源，远赴美国、英国了解治理空气污染的经验；官员、科学家以及普通百姓都出现在她的采访镜头之中。

　　Chai’s research reveals that the burning of coal and oil contributes to 60 percent of PM2.5 pollutants. She thus questions the country’s energy consumption habits in the film.

　　柴静调研发现，PM2.5主要来自煤与油的燃烧（占60%）。于是，她的这部记录片矛头直指我国能源消费习惯。

　　She then goes on to disclose loopholes in car emissions regulations. Some of the laws have been in place for years, but have never been applied. The film also explains that businesses are pressured not to abide by the laws because violating them carries little or no cost, while making changes bumps up costs. The film also points at China’s petroleum and steel industries as the biggest sources of air pollution.

　　她还指出我国汽车排放法规存在漏洞，一些出台多年的法律法规从未实施。对商家而言，违反这些法律法规几乎不需付出任何代价，而做出改善却成本高昂。影片认为，中国的石油、钢铁行业是空气污染的最大来源。

　　Chai goes on to list the things ordinary people can do to help and sums everything up by calling for individual responsibility in reporting illegal emissions via the hotline 12369.

　　柴静随后还列出了普通人能够做些什么，呼吁人人都负起责任，比如拨打热线12369举报非法排放。

　　The film has provoked national discussion after going viral online. Gruesome pictures of withered trees, murky skies, and babies under treatment have moved viewers. But most importantly, the film looks at solutions that the government and individuals can carry out to help.

　　该片在网上走红之后，引起了全国性的讨论。片中枯萎的树木、灰色的天空、生病的孩童都触动了观众的心弦。更重要的是，该片还着眼于解决之道，提出政府与个人都可有所作为。

　　Cheng Chen, a 22-year-old student from Beijing Foreign Studies University, found the documentary “very inspiring”.

　　今年22岁的程晨（音译）来自北京外国语大学，她觉得这部纪录片“十分震撼”。

　　“I used to think it’s not my duty to deal with air pollution–I don’t own a factory or a car,” said Cheng. “But Chai told me we share the same fate since we breathe the same air and there is a lot I can do.”

　　她说：“以前我一直认为治理污染并不是自己的责任，因为我既不开工厂，也没有车。但是，看过柴静的片子之后，我才发现我们不仅同呼吸共命运，而且还能为此做很多事。”

　　However, some people are annoyed by the film’s depiction of their polluted hometowns, especially when it shows a banner from Xingtai in Hebei saying “Congratulations to our city for no longer being ranked the last place among the country’s 74 cities in terms of air quality”.

　　当然，也有一些人因为片子对自己家乡污染的描述而感到不适，尤其是在河北邢台拍到的那张横幅，上面写着“为我市退出全国七十四个城市空气质量排名倒数第一而喝彩”。

　　Such a feeling of “being insulted”, in Cheng’s eyes, could also be a good thing.

　　程晨却觉得，这样带给人的“冒犯”之感也许并非坏事。

　　“What’s important is that Chai’s work has raised public attention toward the structure of the energy industry,” she said.

　　她说，“柴静片子的意义在于引起公众对于能源行业结构的关注。”

　　Chen Jining, newly appointed minister of environmental protection, said he had contacted Chai to express his appreciation. “Protecting the environment is never a ‘personal affair’ of environmental authorities. We welcome everybody’s contribution,” Chen told the press on March 1.

　　新任环保部长陈吉宁表示，他已经联系了柴静并表达了感谢。在3月1日的新闻发布会上，他表示，保护环境从来不是环保部门的‘个人行为’，欢迎人人贡献出自己的一份力。

　　Meanwhile, experts remind moved viewers of the film’s limitations.

　　与此同时，一些专家也提醒观众，在被视频感动的同时，也要注意到片子也有其不足之处。