Zhang knew that wearing a mask or installing a purifier indoors is not a long-term solution, but Beijing carried his most beautiful memories and dreams, which he hated to part with. However, his son's sudden illness reminded him that it was time to leave.
In 2003, his son got severe pneumonia. "I went to the children's hospital every day and found crowds of kids in the waiting area. Most of them kept coughing, and it was at that moment that my wife and I realized that we had to move," he said.
The whole moving project took around half a year. Even though they are living in Shenzhen with opulent sunshine and fresh air, Zhang cannot help but miss Beijing from time to time.
"I spent my whole youth in Beijing. I attended college, fell in love, got married and had my son here. It has the best resources for education, medication and career development," he said. "If the pollution problem could be solved one day, I would think of going back. However, I don't know when that day will be."
A forced choice
Leaving Beijing is not an easy choice for many, yet for Beijing locals, the decision is even harder to make.
Yang Dawei, 33, grew up in Beijing, but moved to South Korea with his wife and child two years ago. For him, Beijing is not a place for pursuing dreams, but a place that carries all his childhood memories, and a place he used to call home.
"Beijing is not what it used to be. We do not need super-advanced technology, or the ever-increasing gross domestic product (GDP) and housing prices. What we need is a real livable place for every family," he said.
Yang, CEO of a startup, started to pay attention to air quality in 2010 when he found there were less and less blue skies, even on sunny days. He has allergic rhinitis and is sensitive to the polluted air. The morbidity of the inflammation increased dramatically as the air quality became worse. Once allergy symptoms hit his nose, he would then be attacked in his throat and trachea. When his allergies are severe, he has headaches and a fever, which hinders his personal and work life.
When he decided to leave in 2013, his body was already very weak. Colds, fevers and respiratory infections were common scenarios in his life. To escape from the haze and find the right destination for his family, he spent a whole year visiting different places before he finally chose South Korea's Cheju. Since Cheju is near to his home country, he can visit his parents and friends in Beijing easily.
Concerning talent loss due to pollution, Yang feels sorry. He said it is a pity for both the city and those talents who left. For the former, it means the loss of quality human resources and capital, and for the latter, it means they have to start from scratch somewhere new.
According to the latest report by 36Kr, a technology press that focuses on Internet start-ups, hundreds of startup entrepreneurs were asked about the smoggy conditions in Beijing, and around 27.55 percent of them say they have already incorporated moving into their long-term plan, and another 4.08 percent have already set about moving. The economic and talent loss of this gradual migration is hard to predict.
The growing trend
The trend of "smog migration" is more obvious among students and recent graduates from universities in Beijing. Free from family burdens and a career foundation, they are more easily able to move.
Zhao Jia (pseudonym), 23, a postgraduate in a top medical university in Beijing, mirrors many of their opinions.
She came to Beijing to study in 2011, and the pollution over years has pushed her to make a series of choices. Some were hard, such as giving up her favorite outdoor sports, yet some directed her future career path, such as choosing a major.
"I still remember the first time I went into an operation room. After living with polluted air for such a long time, I immediately sensed the improved air quality in the room. It felt so good to breath freely in the first-class quality air," she said.
Due to high medical requirements, the air in an operating room is highly filtered and controlled, and this became the main reason she chose to become an ocular surgeon instead of practicing internal medicine.
The air quality made her realize what she really wants in her life, and she plans to go back to her hometown in Fujian once she graduates.
She said a safe and happy living environment for her and her future family is much more important than fame and wealth. Zhao said many of her friends in the university left Beijing, and that smog is one of the main triggers. Some of them said they feel sorry for her since she has been living in the polluted city for six years, which is a big contrast to years ago when settling down in the capital was something to be proud of.
"Each time I return home, my parents urge me to leave the smoggy city. All I want to do now is work harder and be well prepared for the day I move."
