Olympics-Hope for China's air even after polluters reopen

By Lucy Hornby

XUANHUA, China, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A grimy town in a pretty plain, Xuanhua boasts a steel mill, several concrete plants, and one of the biggest power plants serving Beijing, all of which contribute to a pall of yellowish smog over the town.

Yet Xuanhua is a key district for environmental monitoring, in line with Beijing's orders to improve air quality during the Olympic Games. Visibly polluted, its incremental steps could nonetheless mean progress for China in the long term.

Air quality in Beijing has improved since factory and car restrictions came into effect in July, despite muggy, overcast weather that cheated China of the blue skies it sought.

"We have done a lot of work on cutting down emissions and saving energy. Hebei's effort in cutting down emissions and saving energy has contributed a lot to improving Beijing's air quality," said an official with the Xuanhua propaganda department, who declined to give details or his name.

Xuanhua boasts a gleaming government building and a new five-star hotel and its steel mill is building new housing for workers. It guards the approaches to Beijing from Hebei province, and smoke from its plants can easily drift to the capital.

The steel mill itself exudes a sharp sulphur smell, and the town is shrouded in dust and greasy smoke.

Nonetheless, the small measures taken by towns like Xuanhua could add up to an improvement in China's air quality over time, as the worst offenders are weeded out and the slightly better performers invest in better equipment.

Xuanhua has shut at least one concrete plant during the Olympics, permanently closed the worst facilities at its steel plant, and allowed a dingy ceramics factory to go bankrupt.