With the spread of Chai Jing’s video news report “Under the Dome,” public understanding and concern about smog have reached a new level.
When “Under the Dome” was unveiled to the public, Chai Jing stated, “This is my personal vendetta against smog.” As a former journalist, Chai Jing thoroughly exposed the various factors behind smog, and at the same time, also resonated deeply with many mothers. In the documentary, she is portrayed as a mother whose unborn child was diagnosed with a tumor. Her reflection-driven actions led her to complete what she claimed was a year-long, million-yuan investigation. It also caused nearly all of China to focus on smog at the same time.
For our children, for the future. What can we do? What should we choose? These are questions that everyone, including parents, are pondering. As we reflect on this issue, it becomes evident that before striving to improve ourselves or change the environment, securing a stable living space is the most pressing task at hand.
After all, home is where you are, and the main vessel that carries a home is something most people first think of as a place that offers a sense of security. Therefore, the requirements for housing have become more complex.
Children are the future
Whether it's clothing, food, housing, or transportation—or sunlight, air, and water—all are essential elements for human survival. When every couple welcomes a new life, almost all hope to give their child the best and most suitable conditions possible. This is a unique protective instinct humans have toward the next generation.
After watching the video, we learn that the composition of smog is extremely complex, consisting of hundreds of atmospheric chemical particulate matters, which can pose serious health risks, especially to children. Mild effects include acute rhinitis and bronchitis; severe cases may lead to particle deposits in the alveoli of children’s lungs, ultimately causing blood poisoning. In heavy smog, pollutants and impurities may also cause central nervous system disorders in children, leading to pulmonary edema or chronic bronchitis. Particularly, when impurities are inhaled into the lungs, they can severely result in emphysema and lung cancer.
How to help children with lower immunity adapt to the living environment? Chai Jing tells us it’s not about going out to exercise, but rather staying indoors. She explained that to prevent smog intrusion, she didn’t dare let her child go outside and even used tape to seal the gaps around doors and windows.
Although this is one solution, it also reveals the helplessness of being a parent. In reality, we can not only choose many good things, but we can also build many good things.
Fangxing Real Estate has always adhered to the philosophy of actively practicing corporate social responsibility. Therefore, from the very beginning of entering the residential market, it has positioned its products as green housing. In Beijing, four of Fangxing Real Estate’s projects—Guangqu Jinmao Mansion, Wangjing Jinmao Mansion, Yayao Jinmao Yue, and Yizhuang Jinmao Yue—all emphasize green and healthy living, earning widespread acclaim and recognition from both the market and industry insiders.
Among them, with special care for the next generation, Fangxing Beijing not only built residences to “Green Gold” standards but also took the lead in providing premium supporting facilities. In its first Beijing project—Guangqu Jinmao Mansion—the educational facility includes the Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School Chaoyang Branch, built to international standards. It is currently the only green-certified school building in Asia to hold LEED-SCHOOL Platinum certification.
Technology changes life
During the Spring Festival, a student who had returned from studying abroad told me, “Whenever I say I’m from Beijing, the first question my classmates ask is about the smog.” Clearly, as the capital of an ancient civilization, smog has overshadowed Beijing’s other characteristics and has become one of the most memorable international impressions.
In 2014, Beijing experienced 175 days of smog pollution. This is a shocking and thought-provoking number. Is this how we will live in the future—with smog all around us? Aside from raising environmental awareness, what other self-protection measures can the public take?
If we can’t go outdoors, how can we ensure indoor safety? How much toxin can tape-sealed gaps really keep out?
In such circumstances, improving the air safety index inside our homes becomes particularly important. Has humanity developed any reasonable technological means to maintain our healthy lifestyle?
The aforementioned Fangxing Real Estate realized this point several years ago—not only taking the lead in green housing but also continuously enhancing the quality of technology-enabled residences.
In the three projects—Guangqu Jinmao Mansion, Wangjing Jinmao Mansion, and Yizhuang Jinmao Yue—Fangxing Beijing installed a full fresh air replacement system. This system delivers purified and filtered fresh air from high floors to the static pressure troughs under the floor of each household. The air then gently overflows, pushing the old indoor air out through the return air vents located near the ceiling during its upward movement. Through constant circulation, the indoor air remains clean. It is reported that this fresh air system can deliver up to 800 cubic meters of fresh air per hour, with each room achieving an air exchange rate of more than once per hour. With such high replacement efficiency, residents can maintain sufficient oxygen levels and breathe fresh air at all times, even without opening windows.
In addition to maintaining clean air, considering the characteristics of dry winters and humid summers in northern China, the fresh air systems used in Jinmao-series products also maintain a relatively constant indoor humidity level of 40% to 60%—the optimal range for living environments. This helps prevent excessive loss of moisture from the skin, maintaining elasticity and softness. Moreover, to better separate public areas such as storage rooms from private spaces like bedrooms, Jinmao-series products use independent supply and return air systems in private areas. This not only meets the need for individualized fresh air control but also avoids poor return airflow caused by closed interior doors.
“Green Gold” continues to upgrade
As early as July 2013, Fangxing Real Estate spontaneously organized the first publicly conducted comprehensive healthy residence test in China. The test invited the China Building Energy Efficiency Association and the Tsinghua University Building Indoor Environment Testing Center to be responsible for data collection and analysis. The two institutions jointly conducted a health environment assessment of Guangqu Jinmao Mansion, a residential property under Fangxing Beijing. The results were higher or superior to national standards. A series of data from the comprehensive healthy residence test showed that Guangqu Jinmao Mansion created a healthy, comfortable, and livable environment for its residents in terms of air, temperature, humidity, noise, and more. This also represents the benchmark quality of Fangxing’s technology-enabled residences.
Today, the second flagship project under Fangxing Beijing—Wangjing Jinmao Mansion—has also become a “Green Gold model” project. It is recognized in Beijing’s high-end market as a high-cost-performance product characterized by green and technological features. Located in Yizhuang, Yizhuang Jinmao Yue is surrounded by seven ecological parks and boasts 15 million square meters of urban green lungs. Within the project, “Xinyue Chengfu” is intended by Fangxing Beijing to be developed into a nearly one-million-square-meter healthy and livable city. In the future, this project will become a national benchmark for improved residential living.