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| Companies in South China See Opportunity in Beijing’s Smog | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| BEIJING — The online ads sound alluring: Come to the sunny south of China and forget the smog of Beijing, they say. Enjoy the laid-back lifestyle; abandon unhealthy Beijing! | BEIJING — The online ads sound alluring: Come to the sunny south of China and forget the smog of Beijing, they say. Enjoy the laid-back lifestyle; abandon unhealthy Beijing! |
| As Beijing residents endured heavy smog on Tuesday, the last day of a four-day red alert for hazardous air pollution, companies in southern China have been advertising the attractions of their sun-filled, tree-lined cities, all in a bid to lure smart, educated and ambitious employees from the north. | As Beijing residents endured heavy smog on Tuesday, the last day of a four-day red alert for hazardous air pollution, companies in southern China have been advertising the attractions of their sun-filled, tree-lined cities, all in a bid to lure smart, educated and ambitious employees from the north. |
| Amy Li, a human resources adviser at Umeox, a technology company in Shenzhen that makes smartwatches, said the clean air at the technology park where her firm is was a big bonus in her recruiting drive. | Amy Li, a human resources adviser at Umeox, a technology company in Shenzhen that makes smartwatches, said the clean air at the technology park where her firm is was a big bonus in her recruiting drive. |
| “You’ll never need to wear a mask here,” Ms. Li said. “Our company is surrounded by green plants, and everything is clean and neat.” | “You’ll never need to wear a mask here,” Ms. Li said. “Our company is surrounded by green plants, and everything is clean and neat.” |
| No one is suggesting that the air in Beijing is the catalyst for a major brain drain from capital to southern cities — at least not yet. Nor does there seem to be a migration of older Beijing residents who want to swap the smog for sunshine in the way that American retirees flock to Florida. | No one is suggesting that the air in Beijing is the catalyst for a major brain drain from capital to southern cities — at least not yet. Nor does there seem to be a migration of older Beijing residents who want to swap the smog for sunshine in the way that American retirees flock to Florida. |
| But as patience frays over the inconvenience of red alerts, and worries mount over the risks to long-term well-being, leaving can seem like an enticing solution. On Tuesday afternoon, the air quality index in Beijing was 506, according to the United States Embassy, 20 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization. | But as patience frays over the inconvenience of red alerts, and worries mount over the risks to long-term well-being, leaving can seem like an enticing solution. On Tuesday afternoon, the air quality index in Beijing was 506, according to the United States Embassy, 20 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization. |
| On Tuesday, the restrictive measures of Beijing’s second red alert this month were in effect: Schools were closed, and cars were only allowed to drive on alternate days, depending on their license plate numbers. Hundreds of factories were ordered to suspend production. | On Tuesday, the restrictive measures of Beijing’s second red alert this month were in effect: Schools were closed, and cars were only allowed to drive on alternate days, depending on their license plate numbers. Hundreds of factories were ordered to suspend production. |
| A real estate company in Shenzhen, JJS Home, needs new sales people and is pitching the clean sea air as a big attraction for prospective employees from the polluted north. | A real estate company in Shenzhen, JJS Home, needs new sales people and is pitching the clean sea air as a big attraction for prospective employees from the polluted north. |
| “It’s obvious that young people pay more attention to their health than their parents’ generation,” said Chen Jie, a human resources manager at JJS Home. “It’s sunny all the time here in the middle of winter. We wore T-shirts last weekend, while Beijing felt so gloomy.” | “It’s obvious that young people pay more attention to their health than their parents’ generation,” said Chen Jie, a human resources manager at JJS Home. “It’s sunny all the time here in the middle of winter. We wore T-shirts last weekend, while Beijing felt so gloomy.” |
| So far, an online ad on a recruiting website has brought modest results, Mr. Chen said. Of the roughly 20 new hires who have joined the company each week over the last few months, only a handful have come from Beijing. Partly, he said, that was because people from nearby provinces could more easily move to Shenzhen. | So far, an online ad on a recruiting website has brought modest results, Mr. Chen said. Of the roughly 20 new hires who have joined the company each week over the last few months, only a handful have come from Beijing. Partly, he said, that was because people from nearby provinces could more easily move to Shenzhen. |
| But ads trumpeting jobs in the sunny south freely tap into feelings of winter blues and claustrophobia in Beijing. | But ads trumpeting jobs in the sunny south freely tap into feelings of winter blues and claustrophobia in Beijing. |
| “I feel so depressed when I open the window everyday and can’t even see the building across the street because of all the smog,” said Ya Hanxiang, 24, a magazine editor. “Why do I have to live here? I feel like I’m living in a basement.” | “I feel so depressed when I open the window everyday and can’t even see the building across the street because of all the smog,” said Ya Hanxiang, 24, a magazine editor. “Why do I have to live here? I feel like I’m living in a basement.” |
| The contrast between Mr. Ya’s view of Beijing and the description of the coastal province of Shandong in an ad for a small technology company, Mengba 100, on the social media website Douban could not be more stark. | The contrast between Mr. Ya’s view of Beijing and the description of the coastal province of Shandong in an ad for a small technology company, Mengba 100, on the social media website Douban could not be more stark. |
| “Had enough of the sand storms? Are you becoming like dried meat as you suffer in the smog? Now you have a choice: Come to Jinan, the capital of Shandong, with mountains and lakes,” reads a promotion aimed at computer engineers. | “Had enough of the sand storms? Are you becoming like dried meat as you suffer in the smog? Now you have a choice: Come to Jinan, the capital of Shandong, with mountains and lakes,” reads a promotion aimed at computer engineers. |
| Liu Hao, 27, the product manager at Mengba 100, who left Beijing two years ago, said he wrote the ad to appeal to people like himself. | Liu Hao, 27, the product manager at Mengba 100, who left Beijing two years ago, said he wrote the ad to appeal to people like himself. |
| “When I was in Beijing, I was sick for months from bronchitis caused by the bad air,” Mr. Liu said. “Now, someday when I have a kid, I’ll be able to take him to the river or woods just a few minutes’ drive away.” | “When I was in Beijing, I was sick for months from bronchitis caused by the bad air,” Mr. Liu said. “Now, someday when I have a kid, I’ll be able to take him to the river or woods just a few minutes’ drive away.” |