from the fog capital of China
Aofei Hu
I trace the things we breathe but cannot see, the chemicals we eat but never question, and the exposures that shape children's futures before they can choose.
I grew up in Chongqing — a city of thirty million people built on mountains, wrapped in fog, and fueled by the world's spiciest cuisine. As a child, I thought the haze over the Yangtze was just weather. My grandmother called it the mountains' blanket.
Then I learned to read an air quality index, and the city I loved became a case study in invisible exposure. The same basin geography that traps river mist also traps PM2.5. The hotpot that defines our culture delivers capsaicin at concentrations 80 times what a sick child can safely consume.
That tension — between loving a place and seeing its dangers clearly — is where all my work begins. I don't study environmental health because it's abstract. I study it because it's home.
追踪
Trace
I measure the chemicals hiding in plain sight — in our air, our food, our daily routines. Making the invisible visible is always the first step.
干预
Intervene
Data without action is just noise. I design solutions — from low-spice nutrition packs to air quality dashboards — that translate exposure science into protection.
守护
Safeguard
The people most affected by environmental exposure are the ones with the least power to avoid it. Children. Patients. Communities. They deserve a guardian.
Gas Courier: Nutrition for Children Who Can't Eat Spice
In Chongqing, hotpot is identity. But for children undergoing chemotherapy at Qi'en Center, even mild spice can damage their compromised mucosal barriers. Gas Courier is a low-capsaicin nutrition pack that preserves the numbing-spicy flavor profile at safe concentrations — 12 mg/L instead of the standard 800 mg/L.
Read the full story →Qi'en Children's Center: Being Present When It Matters
Every other Saturday, I lead a team of four volunteers at Chongqing's pediatric cancer ward. We don't just visit — we design activities around what these children can actually do. Art therapy for kids too tired to run. Storytelling for kids who can't leave their rooms. A "Lung Guardian Handbook" that teaches families to monitor air quality at home.
See the field notes →
Chongqing Air Quality × Pediatric Health
Cross-referencing PM2.5 data from 12 monitoring stations with pediatric respiratory admissions. On days exceeding 100 μg/m³, children's hospital visits spike by 23%.
Explore the data →"The fog doesn't hide the city — it reveals what you're willing to look for."