Gaseous pollutants, NO<sub>y</sub>/NO<sub>x</sub>, SO<sub>2</sub>, CO, and O<sub>3</sub>, were measured at an urban site in Beijing from 17 November 2007 to 15 March 2008. The average concentrations (with ± 1σ) of NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub>, NO<sub>y</sub>, CO, SO<sub>2</sub>, and O<sub>3</sub> were 29.0 ± 2.7 ppb, 33.7 ± 1.4 ppb, 62.7 ± 4.0 ppb, 72.8 ± 4.5 ppb, 1.99 ± 0.13 ppm, 31.9 ± 2.0 ppb, and 11.9 ± 0.8 ppb, respectively, with hourly maxima of 200.7 ppb, 113.5 ppb, 303.9 ppb, 323.2 ppb, 15.06 ppm, 147.3 ppb, and 69.7 ppb, respectively. The concentrations of the pollutants show "saw-toothed" patterns, which are attributable mainly to changes in wind direction and speed. The frequency distributions of the hourly mean concentrations of NO<sub>y</sub>, SO<sub>2</sub>, CO, and O<sub>3</sub> can all be decomposed in the two Lorentz curves, with their peak concentrations representing background levels under different conditions. During the observation period, the average ratio NO<sub>x</sub>/NO<sub>y</sub> was 0.86 ± 0.10, suggesting that the gaseous pollutants in Beijing in winter are mainly from local emissions. Data of O<sub>3</sub>, NO<sub>z</sub>, and NO<sub>x</sub>/NO<sub>y</sub> indicate that photochemistry can take place in Beijing even in the cold winter period. Based on the measurements of O<sub>3</sub>, NO<sub>x</sub>, and NO<sub>y</sub>, ozone production efficiency (OPE) is estimated to be in the range of 0–8.9 (ppb ppb<sup>−1</sup>) with the mean(± 1σ) and median values being 1.1(± 1.6) and 0.5 (ppb ppb<sup>−1</sup>), respectively, for the winter 2007–2008 in Beijing. This low OPE would cause a photochemical O<sub>3</sub> source of 5 ppb day<sup>−1</sup>, which is small but significant for surface O<sub>3</sub> in winter in Beijing. Downward transport of O<sub>3</sub>-rich air from the free troposphere is the more important factor for the enhancement of the O<sub>3</sub> level in the surface layer, while high NO level for the destruction of O<sub>3</sub>. The concentrations of SO<sub>2</sub>, CO, and NO<sub>x</sub> are strongly correlated among each other, indicating that they are emitted by some common sources. Multiple linear regression analysis is applied to the concentrations of NO<sub>y</sub>, SO<sub>2</sub>, and CO and empirical equations are obtained for the NO<sub>y</sub> concentration. Based the equations, the relative contributions from mobile and point sources to NO<sub>y</sub> is estimated to be 66 ± 30 % and 40 ± 16 %, respectively, suggesting that even in the heating period, mobile sources in Beijing contribute more to NO<sub>y</sub> than point sources.