Hebei Province has shut down 8,347 small high-polluting firms in the past year in an attempt to ease its notorious air pollution, new data has showed.

According to statistics published monthly by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Hebei is home to as many as seven of the country's 10 most polluted cities.

The province faces an enormous challenge as its air pollution is a source of public complaints and anger not only locally, but also in neighboring regions like Beijing.

Severe smog hit Beijing, Tianjin and almost all major cities in Hebei on Thursday. Hebei's economy is dominated by highly polluting and energy-guzzling heavy industries, which contribute up to 77 percent of all emissions into the air, official data showed.

Xinhua