Cleaning up inside (3)

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By Lin Meilian (Global Times) 09:05, November 14, 2013

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Electronics maker Sharp's sales doubled last year, making up about 30 percent of the company's sales of household electrical appliances in China, according to a Bloomberg report in February.

Chinese political cartoonist Biantai Lajiao, also known as "Rebel Pepper", who has been living in Beijing for a year, finally brought himself an air purifier. He posted on Weibo photos of water that turned black after it was cleaned, with many people commenting that they had the same experience.

"I feel better when I see monitors display the indoor PM2.5 level as good," he told the Global Times, adding that he wanted to leave the city badly earlier this year, but decided to stay and fight the pollution.

Understanding residents' concerns, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Industry Association announced last year that households could register for free PM2.5 testing in their homes. The program would cover 10,000 local families to study indoor PM2.5 levels and its effects on people's health, according to the association.

Fang Yunge, technology consultant of Beijing-based TianshengJiajing Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Co Ltd, told the Global Times that there has been an increasing number of requests to have these tests.

"An increasing number of urban families, especially those with children and the elderly, have greater awareness of the health benefits of clean air," Fang said.

Market impact

Cleaner indoor air has also become a major selling point for property developers and employers. Speaking at a forum on indoor air quality in May, Yu Qingxin, deputy director of the Beijing Property Management Association, pointed out that some office renters had asked for refunds due to the poor indoor air quality.

"It is the government's concern whether or not more and more companies will move out of Beijing, but for us it is devaluing Beijing's property," Yu said.

To attract more renters, developers such as the China World Trade Center, located in the heart of Beijing's central business district, have invested over 10 million yuan in improving the indoor air quality in its 540,000-square-meter Phase 3 Project in 2009.

The recent Galaxy Soho project, which is a mix of office and retail space operated by billionaire couple Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, has had air pollution control equipment installed.

"The reason why developers want to do this is because they have already sensed the need of the market, and it will eventually affect the value of their projects," said Zhang Ping, director of Cushman & Wakefield's Beijing research operations, a privately held commercial real estate services firm.

When it comes to the future of residents' individual war against PM2.5, many say that victory is still a long way away.

One of Rebel Pepper's cartoons portrays a couple walking hand in hand on a heavily polluted day. The woman asks, "I just bought a new dress today, do you like the color?" The man, who is wearing a gas mask, turns and looks at his girlfriend, able only to see her hand in the smog.

"Beijing's pollution is like the American horror movie The Fog. There might be a monster hiding in there, and it could hunt you down anytime," he said.