At an outdoor embassy event in Beijing recently, I was deep in conversation when I fell victim to the Chinese capital’s early summer curse — catkins.
These airborne fluff-covered seeds, dispatched in their billions by the city’s poplar and willow trees, create “snowstorms” from April onwards that clog up drains and car radiators and irritate eyes, noses and throats.
In my case, I must have inhaled one of the Malteser-sized frizzy spheres while I was talking — it sent me into an inconsolable coughing fit. I had to flee unceremoniously to a fuzz-free environment inside to recuperate.
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