In Quyang county, Hebei province, 68-year-old Dong Tongzhou wears a worn coat outside in 28°C weather, trying to catch some sun to keep warm. Dong used to burn coal to heat his home, but the government banned it to cut pollution. Now, natural gas is the replacement, but it costs three times more. Dong spends about 1,000 yuan ($143) a winter on heating, over a third of his 800 yuan pension. "If it gets even more expensive, then I'll stop using it," he said. Since 2017, Hebei has banned coal for home heating to reduce Beijing's winter smog. Local governments initially helped with subsidies for natural gas, but these have been cut this winter. Social media showed villagers secretly burning banned firewood or hiding under many blankets to stay warm, though much reporting was censored. Despite the hardships, Beijing celebrated reduced pollution with only one heavy pollution day in 2025, a 98% drop since 2013. Villagers pay 10-20% more for gas than city residents in Beijing or Tianjin. Experts say China's green future lies in renewables like solar and wind, which power heat pumps costing around $2,800 to install. But without government aid, many villagers cannot afford them and won’t use gas heaters. "They had subsidies and they got rid of them," noted Deborah Seligsohn, a Villanova University professor. Meanwhile, many Hebei villagers ration their heating to cope with soaring costs and pollution controls.