Smog has brought the northern Chinese city of Harbin (哈爾濱) to a standstill, forcing the closure of schools and highways and disrupting flights all throughout Monday.<br /><br />The recorded density of airborne particles was several times above the World Health Organisation's recommended limits.<br /><br />Visibility was reduced to below 50 metres in parts of the city.<br /><br />Cars and buildings were barely visible in the smog that shrouded the city. Residents donned masks before venturing outside. <br /><br />Local media attributed the recent upsurge in pollution to the city's public heating system which was switched on for the winter on October 20th.<br /><br />All of Heilongjiang (黑龍江) province's highways, and Harbin's Taiping (太平) International Airport were forced to close. <br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /> <br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /> <br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /> <br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
