The pollution is expected to engulf Beijing until Wednesday, when wind will arrive to blow the smog away, according to a weather report from the meteorological station.

Thick smog pushed the sales of protection masks in drugstores and online stores as the foggy weather expanded to many parts of northern and eastern China.

Sales volume of a type of mask on Taobao.com and Tmall.com, two popular online marketplaces, has increased ten times ever since Friday, when the hazardous smoggy weather was forecasted.

The capital's deteriorated air quality also stirred wide public concerns and complains.

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, "the smoggy weather" topped the hot topics on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo with about 7.68 million entries calling for the air pollution control and reflections on economic growth mode and lifestyle.

"The masks, which I stored since 2003 for the prevention of SARS, finally come into use in such days," said a netizen named Xiaoyuer.

"I would like to go back to the 1980's if the city had to pay such painful price for economic development," Xiaoyuer added.

"Some wedding cars lost their fleet in the dense haze and had to wait on the southern section of Beijing Fourth Ring Road," said a netizen named Shanchuandahe on the Sina Weibo.

Shanchuandahe, who planned to visit his relatives in Tianjin, said he had to drive back home as the expressway was closed by the smog.

"Definitely, the public are increasingly concerned about environment problems, while combating pollution and transforming economic development mode are pressing tasks for the government," said Prof. Zhu Tong.