Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist Chen Guangbiao announced he would sell canned fresh air starting Sept 17 to arouse public awareness for protecting the environment.

The air is obtained from sites including some revolutionary bases, such as Jinggangshan in Jiangxi province and Yan'an in Shaanxi province, and some ethic regions such as Yushu in Qinghai province, Chen said at a news briefing in Beijing on Sept 16.

The air is compressed into small metal containers the size of a soft drink can, and consumers can inhale it by pulling the ring off, putting the can close to their noses, and breathing, Chen said.

The cans sell for 4 to 5 yuan (63 to 79 cents) apiece, according to a report on China National Radio.

Chen said he had produced 100,000 cans of fresh air, but he was not optimistic about the sales.

"It doesn't matter whether it sells well or not, and I would rather spend money on the research and collection of fresh air to arouse the public's awareness of environmental protection," he said.

Some people have criticized the initiative as a publicity stunt.

"Transporting canned air from the mountain region to users will add to carbon dioxide emissions, which is not in the interest of protecting the environment at all," a woman named Jiang Yan said on her micro blog.