Photos of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg running with no mask despite smog near Tiananmen Square in downtown Beijing on Friday, March 18, circulated on Chinese social media, catching the attention of Chinese netizens who called him " the most expensive air cleaner."
The Global Times reported that in his Facebook post, Zuckerberg is seen running with several people near the gate of the Forbidden City, saying, "It's great to be back in Beijing! I kicked off my visit with a run through Tiananmen Square, past the Forbidden City and over to the Temple of Heaven."
In the Chinese mainland, the U.S.-based social media platform, as well as Twitter and search giant Google, still cannot be accessed. However, Chinese social media platforms like the Sina Weibo and WeChat have circulated Zuckerberg's photos, showing him running in downtown Beijing, with the world-famous entrepreneur either being cheered or mocked by netizens.
"How's the smog taste?" Weibo user "Xiaoshanzi" asked, while another netizen named Sailor Gu wrote: "He may regret his decision that day."
On Friday morning, the PM2.5 reading in Beijing was above 300, which indicated serious air pollution, as the capital has been experiencing smoggy weather lately.
The report said, however, that Zuckerberg and five others who ran with him appeared to be not wearing any masks.
"To get Facebook open in China, Zuckerberg has been fighting hard," a Chinese netizen wrote.
According to the report, the tech tycoon will be attending the China Development Forum in Beijing, a three-day high-level meeting where Chinese and world business and political leaders are expected to attend.
The forum, titled "A China of the New Five-Year Plan Era," will also be attended by central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, Financial Minister Lou Jiwei and several ministerial-level officials.
The report said that former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and many foreign bankers and economists are also expected to join the meetings.
Zuckerberg joined Jack Ma Yun, founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, in a dialogue on Saturday, March 19, which focused on creativity and development, according to the forum agenda.
Known as the "Chinese people's son-in-law," Zuckerberg, who is married to Chinese-American Priscilla Chan, is often welcomed by the Chinese public for being friendly toward China.
In Oct. 2014, students were surprised when Zuckerberg spoke Chinese throughout a lecture at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Zuckerberg and his wife and daughter also greeted the Chinese people a Happy New Year in Chinese in a video on Feb. 7, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.