Cold vs. Coal

Regarding “From Mao to Now” by Christopher Reynolds (Nov. 21):

Reynolds states: “The air is so thick with coal dust that some parents outfit their children with tiny surgeon’s masks . . . .” This is untrue.

I am a Chinese immigrant. I was born and lived in China for 18 years, and spent most of the time in Shanghai. The reason we wore “surgeon masks” in the winter is very simple. The weather in Shanghai in the wintertime is very cold and windy. The wind-chill factor makes your face very cold. In order to keep their faces warm, most people wear masks. This practice is used everywhere in China in winter. Therefore, the “coal dust” was not the reason that those children wore masks.

WEI EASON, Torrance