A breath of fresh air now costs $3.70 a bottle in China

In a country notoriously plagued by urban smog, Chinese government officials have finally found a solution for citizens looking for a breath of fresh air.

Enterprising Xi’an forestry officials have reportedly bottled fresh air from Qinling Pingheliang Nature Reserve and are selling them for RMB18 a bottle ($3.70), said Youth.cn in a Weibo post.

Each bottle can be used for 50 puffs of air, or two minutes of constant use.

The air is supposedly able to relieve fatigue, improve one’s mental state, and to clear the airways.

A customer said:

“I bought a bottle previously, and the air was really fresh. It smelled like the forest.

“My friend heard about it and wanted to try it, so I’m here to buy two more bottles.”

Up to 94% of the protected nature reserve is forested. The nature reserve, which is home to the giant pandas, has “over 30,000 negative ions count per cubic centimetre”.

Plans for selling the bottled air began a year ago, when forestry officials thought of selling fresh air to the people. After conducting experiments and market research, the forest bureau invested in a air-bottling plant.

Each bottle yields a 3RMB profit, according to the forestry chief.

Last September, a Chinese mall, also in Xi'an, was reported to be selling bags of fresh air