万花筒 2010-03-24&03-25 沙尘暴肆虐中国（在线收听）

A massive sandstorm has blanketed in China with a layer of sand and grit. We see these storms here every year around spring time, but this one is particularly bad. Residents are saying this is the worst they've seen in four or five years. It's clouded the skies with a dusty brown color. and on the ground you can see a layer of dust accumulating, and also on the cars as well. Now what we are seeing is people wearing face masks,wearing bandannas to protect themselves. And when you breathe it in, you can really feel a bit of grit in your mouth and in your throat.

Now part of the reason that this is happening is because of desertification as well as a severe drought in northern China. Strong winds have whipped up sands in the Gobi desert and have sent them south. Now weather forecasters are saying the sandstorm has now reached Hong Kong and Taiwan,but as far as we can tell it really hasn't prevented most people from going about their businesses as usual at least here in Beijing. the streets are buzzing as they always are, but residents are being advised to stay indoors if they can.

Emily Chang,CNN Beijing.