Good Old Chinese Pollution

Has the apocalypse begun? I don't ask because somebody decided to make a movie about one of our greatest presidents hunting vampires. I ask because of the mushroom cloud over Beijing. Of course the apocalypse would start in China.

Mushroom and fried pork with scallions cloud

No, that's not a still from the beginning of Independence Day, that is a real cloud over Beijing. Not only is it shaped like a mushroom but it is the color of a nuclear explosion as well. The last time I was in Beijing, the air pollution was not nearly as bad as it used to be, but with no international games coming to Beijing for a long time, perhaps they've let the pollution controls lapse a bit.
So far the Chinese government doesn't have much to say about it, besides assuring people that its not from a chemical explosion. A couple weeks ago in Wuhan, my old adopted hometown, a yellow haze descended on the city. Word on the street is that there was a explosion at a chlorine plant, but of course that is being denied.
China has long been known for its pollution. It's quickly replacing kung fu and dumplings as the most recognizable Chinese things. This is taking it to a whole new level though. I give it two more years before the entire country is covered in an unbreathable haze. As it stands right now, it's a common sight to see people walking down the street with masks on. If this continues, in a thousand years the Chinese will either be all dead from pollution or have evolved to be immune to it, making them into a race of superbeings.
God help us all.