Beijing ( CNN ) If you live in China and have n't watched -- or at least heard about -- `` Under the Dome , '' you must have been living under a rock . The almost two-hour documentary on air pollution in China produced by a famous TV journalist has quickly gone viral since its online release Saturday , clocking millions of views on various video sites and stirring ferocious debates across Chinese cyberspace . The air pollution that 's choking Asia . Here are five things to know to put the phenomenon in context : . The slickly produced video shows journalist Chai Jing presenting a comprehensive slide show , intercutting with fast-paced footage of her travels across China and the rest of world , to find answers to three questions : What is smog , where does it come from and what can be done to tackle it ? As shocking levels of air pollution continue to choke much of China regularly , the video has struck such a chord with the audience that , in two short days , it 's easily attracted over 100 million views -- a hugely impressive number even in the world 's most populous nation . Many Internet users have compared it to `` An Inconvenient Truth , '' the Oscar-winning documentary on former U.S. Vice President Al Gore 's effort to raise awareness on the dangers of global warming . Chai , 39 , was already a household name before last weekend thanks to her career at China Central Television , the state-run national broadcaster . As a long-time CCTV anchor and investigative reporter , Chai stood out from her peers by covering sensitive topics -- ranging from the environment to homosexuality -- in a country where many journalists at state media stay away from such potential landmines . Her choice of stories and style of reporting -- calm but tenacious -- have earned her legions of fans nationwide -- with some nicknaming her `` the Goddess '' for her elegance and intelligence on air . Plenty of detractors , however , consider her a leading elitist voice for the country 's liberal intellectuals . After writing a best-selling autobiography chronicling her time at CCTV , Chai quit her job last year to take care of her daughter , who had been born with a tumor . Declaring a personal war against smog as a worried mother , Chai tries to dig deep in her self-funded documentary . With her former CCTV connections opening doors , she followed and interviewed top environmental and energy officials and experts in China -- and received surprisingly candid responses . While there is no obvious hero in the video , the villain seems to be clear . A former chief engineer of the state-owned oil conglomerate Sinopec brushes off Chai 's suggestion that his powerful industry -- which oversees pollution standards for itself and has rendered environmental authorities toothless -- should become more socially responsible . Tracing the main source of tiny and dangerous pollutants in China to extremely inefficient energy exploration and use , Chai sees the solution in dismantling entrenched interests of the state energy sector -- and also appeals to the public for less reliance on cars and more proactive reporting of polluters . Admiration from celebrity and ordinary viewers -- many said to be moved to tears -- poured in almost immediately . In countless reposts of the video links , people praise Chai for her courage to address the sensitive topic head on and spread the knowledge to the masses . One text message of gratitude to Chai from the new minister of environmental protection -- who had been appointed only a day earlier -- has fueled suspicion among her critics that the video was nothing more than a government PR move . They point to the positive coverage of the video 's massive online launch across state media , including an in-depth interview with Chai on the website of People 's Daily , the ruling Communist Party 's official newspaper . Also , the timing : The video was released just days ahead of China 's annual parliament session , during which legislators are expected to rubber-stamp the Communist leadership 's policy agenda . President Xi Jinping had declared keeping the sky blue in the country as a top priority . Some argue that the energy industry makes a convenient political target , as Xi 's ongoing anti-corruption campaign had netted a former senior leader whose power bases included the state oil sector . Others even see the video as propaganda to prepare people for mass layoffs in overbuilt and inefficient state industries as the government restructures the economy . Questions have also arisen on the science in the video -- including Chai 's apparent linking smog to her baby daughter 's tumor . And the cacophony surrounding it seems to have caught even China 's seasoned censors off guard . Heated arguments have raged online , including blaming pollution on China 's political system due to its lack of accountability . By late Sunday night , although the video remained online , all mention of it had been scrubbed from homepages of web portals and news sites . With discussions on the video shifting to social media , a common consensus seems to have emerged : Love it or hate it , Chai 's documentary has stirred an important debate in a country where authorities censored air pollution data from the U.S. embassy as recently as November . Some internet users have compared `` Under the Dome '' phenomena to the discussion over `` the dress '' — you can fight over the color but what 's important is that it 's being talked about .
Two-hour documentary on U.S. 's air pollution goes viral . Documentary shot by former TV anchor after birth of child . Film generated ferocious debate , took censors by surprise .