SHIJIAZHUANG - The northern Chinese industrial hub of Baoding, Hebei province, ordered thousands of factories to suspend or limit production as it continued to choke under smog on Wednesday.

According to the city government, 2,045 plants stopped or slashed production to cut emissions. It also banned operations on 562 construction sites.

"All coal-fired power plants in the city should limit production, while factories related to mining, and sand and gravel processing should shut down," said a government spokesperson.

Baoding, 150 kilometers from Beijing, is ever present on the list of the 10 Chinese cities with the worst air quality.

Beijing issued its first red alert for air pollution on Monday, bringing traffic restrictions, school suspensions and factory closures.

The National Meteorological Center said the smog in north China will weaken and disperse on Thursday afternoon.