雾霾迫使有钱人计划逃离中国

    现实情况是，有能力避开雾霾的人，尤其是有孩子的家庭，正在逃离北京等一些被一项中国的研究称为“不适宜居住”城市。他们纷纷前往美国、加拿大和欧洲国家，如塞浦路斯、葡萄牙和英国等，寻求永久居住权。

    今年冬天早些时候，我曾在北京与几位富裕家庭的母亲交流。她们中一些人向我介绍了污染让他们考虑移民的心路历程。与她们的交流给我带来了很多启发，因为调查不会告诉你，有钱人也并不是轻易就做出了移民决定。她们都表示，移民是一个艰难的决定。中国的文化与语言让他们希望留在国内。但许多人担心孩子的健康，这个问题迫使她们做出了移民的打算。

    我和这几位母亲相约在一个豪华购物中心的一家星巴克（Starbucks）见面，那里还云集着古驰（Gucci）、（普拉达）Prada和Tom Ford等品牌的精品专营店。咖啡馆里的其他人可能正聊政治、体育话题的时候，这些母亲们却在交流有关雾霾的心事。

    费尔班克斯•冯（音译）的两个女儿分别是10岁和8岁。当地的家庭教师协会（PTA）募集了人民币200,000元（约合33,000美元）购买空气净化器，这样一来，尽管因为雾霾而经常取消户外活动，但孩子们至少可以在学校里呼吸到清洁空气。她希望孩子们在北京上学的时间可以更长一点，但她不得不在7月份和孩子们一起回到英国。空气污染太严重，她无法让孩子们长期留在北京。她的英国丈夫在北京经营一家商业咨询公司，他会继续留在这里。

    肖可可（音译）告诉我，她尽量不让两个女儿到外面玩。去年夏天，她们全家去美国旅游，先后游览了亚特兰大、拉斯维加斯、洛杉矶和旧金山，“那里的空气让他们很是吃惊”。她丈夫在旧金山成立了一家咨询公司，部分原因是为家人摆脱污染提供一种选择。她说：“政府不能坐在那里等着”空气好转，但她目前还是会继续留在北京。

    其他母亲更是犹豫不决。她们一边喝着茶和拿铁，一边解释称，虽然污染是灾难性的，但目前还可以忍受。打扮时尚的郭梅（音译）穿着黑色皮靴，她九岁的女儿患有哮喘。她拿出一个3M口罩，跟我说：“最好戴上这个，”然后她解释称，空气污染是她在离开中国之前考虑的许多因素之一。其他因素包括家庭、工作和文化。是否移民，她还没有下定决心。

    当然，许多有钱人仍然会继续留在雾霾笼罩的北京和中国其他受到污染的城市。世界增长最快的大型经济体所带来的机会令人难以抗拒。而且，调查显示，中国人依然热衷于国内投资。但在短时间内，空气污染问题不会好转，富人逃离的问题也同样如此。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    What's happening is that those who can avoid the smog, especially families with children, are escaping what a recent Chinese study reportedly called "unlivable" cities like Beijing. They're seeking permanent residency in America and Canada, and European countries Cyprus, Portugal, and the U.K.

    Earlier this winter I spoke with half a dozen wealthy mothers in Beijing who explained to me how pollution had some of them considering moving away. It was enlightening to hear because what the survey doesn't tell you is that the rich don't take moving to another country lightly. The women explained what a hard decision it was to make. China's culture and language had them wanting to stay. But many of them were afraid for their children's health, leading them to plans to go abroad.

    I met the mothers at a Starbucks (SBUX). They swapped stories about smog like others might politics or sports in the café that opened to a luxury mall with Gucci, Prada, and Tom Ford boutiques.

    Feng Fairbanks has two daughters, who are 10 years old and 8 years old. The local PTA raised 200,000 RMB ($33,000 USD) to buy air purifiers so that her children can at least enjoy clean air inside the school where recess is often cancelled because of smog. She wanted her daughters to attend school longer in Beijing, but she's returning to the U.K. with them in July. The air pollution was becoming too serious to plan on staying in Beijing for the long term. Her British husband, who runs a business consultancy in Beijing, is staying in China.

    Coco Xiao told me she avoids playing with her two daughters outside. Last summer the family toured the U.S. -- visiting Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, then San Francisco -- and was "amazed by the air." Her husband is setting up a consulting business in San Francisco in part to give the family an option to escape the pollution. She says the "government cannot afford to wait" to fix the air, but she's staying in Beijing for now.

    The other mothers were more hesitant. As they sipped teas and lattes, they explained how the pollution was devastating but bearable -- for the time being. May Guo, dressed fashionably in black leather boots, has a 9-year-old daughter with asthma. She pulled out a 3M (MMM) mask -- "the best," she tells me -- then explained that air pollution is one of many factors to consider before leaving China. There's family, jobs, culture. She's waiting to make a decision on leaving.

    Of course, many rich will stay in smoggy Beijing and China's other polluted cities. Opportunities in the world's fastest-growing major economy are hard to turn down. And surveys show the Chinese remain loyal about investing at home. But the air pollution problem isn't getting better anytime soon, and neither will the flight of China's wealthiest residents.