Only 8 cities in China meet government air standards

Just eight out of China's 74 largest cities passed the government's air quality standards in 2014, according to the environment ministry.

The most polluted areas are in north-eastern Hebei which surrounds the capital Beijing.

Beijing and Shanghai both failed the evaluation, which was based on measurements of major pollutants.

The government is making attempts to reduce pollution but the country still relies heavily on coal for its energy generation.

More than 8,000 coal-burning factories in Hebei were shut last year as part of one government initiative.

A statement on the environment ministry's website noted that the 2014 results were an improvement on the previous year, when only three cities passed the assessment.

The statement said: "presently, the country's air pollution situation remains serious".

The evaluation was based on readings of pollutants including PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.

The assessment found that the city of Haikou, in the southern Hainan province, has the cleanest air and the northern industrial city of Baoding was found to be the most polluted city.

The rankings for Beijing and Shanghai were not included in the statement but it highlights that Beijing's air quality has improved slightly compared to 2013.

Officials declared a "war on air pollution" last year, and have pledged to limit consumption of coal, remove millions of cars from the roads and develop renewable energy capacity.

China made the historic commitment that its carbon emissions would peak by 2030 at the Beijing Apec summit in November.

Officials imposed tight limits on car use in the city and ordered factories to close in the weeks leading up to the meeting resulting in a temporary improvement in air quality termed "Apec Blue".

The government has since pledged to improve air quality across the country.