Tonnes of sand from deserts in China's interior blew into Beijing in the biggest sandstorm this year, shrouding China's capital in a yellow-orange haze that authorities warned made the air quality "hazardous".

There were few people out on streets where pedestrians could taste the dust.

Many of those who had ventured from their homes were wearing face masks, and some left footprints in the yellow film that had settled on the city's streets.

Beijing's weather forecasting bureau gave the air quality a rare "5", or hazardous, rating and added that it was "not suitable for morning exercises".