A very disturbing documentary on China's air pollution, "Under the Dome," that went viral on the Internet for more than a week, has been taken down  from major Chinese websites reportedly by the central government, officials privy to the censorship said.

The documentary, which  first went online last February 28, was removed from video sites run by major online companies like Youku Tudou and Tencent Holdings Ltd, last Friday.

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Reports said Chinese censors also took out the video from the Communist Party's website.

Viewers trying to watch the documentary expressed dismay over the censorship order as they only saw broken lines, error messages, or were redirected to other videos.

China's censors and film regulators were not immediately available for comments.

"Under the Dome" exposes the toxic air that regularly envelopes China's skies, causing  hundreds of thousands of  premature deaths of  the Chinese citizens yearly.

The video, which was  produced by Chai Jing, a former reporter for a state-run news agency, garnered  100 million views before it was taken down by the government this week.

"Under the Dome" was released online a day before the annual Chinese legislative sessions opened, with Jing taking advantage of the opportunity to raise the pollution issue that has hounded the Chinese people for a long time.

Reports said a video site owner was given the directive to pull the film from video sites, saying that authorities wanted to control the 'online mood' at this very sensitive time when the Chinese parliament is in session.

The censors also ordered online companies to delete any 'anti-government' comments and sentiments.

Chinese journalists said the propaganda officials have requested them last Sunday to tone down any anti-government news reports and asked their publications to stop reporting about the documentary.

The annual session of the Chinese parliamentary opened on Thursday with the economy and environment topping the list of  issues that will be discussed in the coming days.

Reports said the delegates have agreed to discuss environmental issues, first taking into account the deteriorating quality of air the Chinese breathe day in and day out.

TagsUnder the Dome, Chai Jing, censorship, online videos, Pollution