Beijing's 'airpocalypse': city shuts down amid three-day smog red alert

Children kept at home, building sites and factories closed and cars kept off roads as pollution engulfs Chinese capital

"Create a paradise," urges the motto of Beijing's Baijiazhuang primary school - a message stamped on to its front gate in bright red calligraphy.

On Tuesday morning, as China's smog-choked capital declared its first ever air pollution red alert, the school, normally buzzing with over-energetic 10-year-olds, was almost silent. A pungent mist hung over the outdoor basketball courts and running track.