Pearl River Perspective

I thank the authors of C&EN for their continuing coverage of chemistry in China. While I waited years to travel to China, I found C&EN to be a good source of chemical and nonchemical insights about that amazing nation and its people. I recently returned from the long-awaited trip and noted the article "In Pursuit of Clean Water" and its discussion of pollution of the Pearl River (C&EN, Jan. 4, page 14). Having spent several days near a small portion of the Pearl River on Shamian Island in Guangzhou, I can offer some additional images of the river:

• A scenic, tree-lined long park/pathway along the Pearl River in parts of Guangzhou busy with pedestrians and a smattering of food carts
• A river confluence near Shamian Island where there are nightly spotlight, laser, and music shows that attract both land-based spectators and tour boats
• Mornings on that same confluence, where multiple boats and people remove the previous evening's accumulated debris from the river
• Parts of the river (especially the more stagnant narrow channel along the back side of the island) smelling and looking like a sewer drain
• A couple of men swimming in the river near a bridge where the homeless sleep, hanging on to life rings and beverage coolers as they bob in a boat's wake

As Guangzhou readies itself to host the Asian games this November, I hope that it can clean up the chemistry of the Pearl River as well as it has begun to clean up its cosmetic appearance.

Dean Campbell
Peoria, Ill.