Ah, sunny Shijiazhuang! The riviera of a-holes of the world! (Stone Family/Clan Village it means. I made a gag about the imperial hemp plantations being based there in ancient times and was believed by a bus full of language examiners who should have known better!)
A pall of pollution hangs over that city permanently! Not as bad as London's famous "pea soupers" in the 50s but it's bad. Especially if you approach by train. You go from blue sky into a dirty great grey cloud! The light is other-worldly. Very odd.
Taiyuan, another city not too far away, is the same. Actually most Chinese cities are the same! Only Hohot (pronounced 'hoo hih ha teh'' in Mandarin Chinese

) in Inner Mongolia, Urumqi way out west in Xinjiang and coastal cities like Dalian, Tianjin, and Qingdao have been any different in my experience.
Think it's normally the Sheraton hotel we stay in. But as the British Council arrange it all and we're only there for a night every few months, I can't remember. Doesn't matter taxis are cheap!
Looking forward to your PM!
