Shopping malls in China’s smog-bound capital arevying for customers by advertising the quality oftheir indoor air, as weeks of choking winter pollution keeps families indoors.
在中國(guó)霧霾籠罩的首都北京,商場(chǎng)正通過(guò)宣傳它們的室內(nèi)空氣質(zhì)量有多么好來(lái)爭(zhēng)搶顧客,因?yàn)閿?shù)周以來(lái)令人窒息的冬季空氣污染讓許多家庭選擇足不出戶(hù)。
Chinese malls rely heavily on children’s play areas, restaurants and even gimmicks such as polarbears to lure shoppers, in a highly competitive sector plagued by massive overbuilding. Thatposes a problem on days when hazardous air quality keeps families with small children at home,leading many malls to turn to cleaner air as a selling point.
受到嚴(yán)重的過(guò)度建設(shè)困擾,中國(guó)零售業(yè)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)相當(dāng)激烈,商場(chǎng)嚴(yán)重依賴(lài)兒童游樂(lè)區(qū)、餐廳、甚至北極熊這樣的噱頭來(lái)吸引購(gòu)物者。在空氣質(zhì)量危害健康的日子里,有幼童的家庭選擇待在家中,這就給商場(chǎng)制造了一個(gè)難題,導(dǎo)致許多商場(chǎng)選擇把更清潔的空氣作為一個(gè)賣(mài)點(diǎn)。
Average air quality in Beijing had improved over the past year, but a bout of thick winter smogbeginning in November has had citizens, and particularly parents, griping. Air indexes havestayed stubbornly in the “hazardous” zone in the capital, while the industrial cities of the northChina plain have gone off the charts for several days running.
過(guò)去一年,北京的平均空氣質(zhì)量有所改善,但從去年11月開(kāi)始的一輪嚴(yán)重的冬季霧霾讓民眾、尤其是父母?jìng)兒芫拘?。在北京,空氣指?shù)一直頑固地停留在“危險(xiǎn)”區(qū),而華北平原的工業(yè)城市已連續(xù)幾天空氣指數(shù)爆表。
Early in January, the national observatory issued its first-ever red alert for fog across largeswaths of north China. An even larger region is under orange alert for smog, after red alertslate last month forced traffic off the roads and closed some schools.
1月初,中國(guó)中央氣象臺(tái)在華北大部地區(qū)發(fā)布了首個(gè)大霧紅色預(yù)警。啟動(dòng)霾橙色預(yù)警的地區(qū)范圍更大。上月底發(fā)布的紅色預(yù)警曾導(dǎo)致車(chē)輛限行和學(xué)校關(guān)閉。
China has a national standard for indoor levels of PM10, airborne particles smaller than 10microns across, and Beijing is working on standards for PM2.5, the fine particles that pose aneven greater danger to health. The city’s standards for internal air quality were originallyexpected to be issued in 2016.
中國(guó)已有針對(duì)室內(nèi)空氣PM10(空氣中直徑小于10微米的顆粒物)濃度的國(guó)家標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。北京市正在研究PM2.5的標(biāo)準(zhǔn),這種細(xì)顆粒物對(duì)健康的危害更大。外界最初曾預(yù)計(jì),北京市會(huì)在2016年發(fā)布室內(nèi)空氣質(zhì)量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。
But as the public becomes increasingly concerned about air pollution, high-end malls in Beijinghave taken to publishing their indoor air quality on digital screens in the central atrium. JoyCity, a mall developer in Beijing, announced on social media it had installed a multilayer airfilter: “Let’s escape from smog and feel the beauty of the nature,” it said.
不過(guò),隨著公眾日益擔(dān)憂(yōu)空氣污染,北京的高端商場(chǎng)已經(jīng)著手在中庭的電子屏幕上發(fā)布它們的室內(nèi)空氣質(zhì)量。北京的商場(chǎng)大悅城(Joy City)曾在社交媒體上宣稱(chēng)它擁有多層空氣過(guò)濾設(shè)施:“讓我們逃離霧霾,感受自然之美。”
Wanda, a property developer with malls in most of China’s medium-to-large cities,announced a year ago it was working with Finnish air purification company AAVI Technologiesto clean the air in its cinemas in Beijing. The co-operation would “enable the audience in Wandato have a very healthy movie-viewing environment and enjoy the clean air from Finland,” AAVIsaid.
在全國(guó)許多大中城市建有商場(chǎng)的開(kāi)發(fā)商萬(wàn)達(dá)(Wanda)曾在一年前宣布,正與芬蘭空氣凈化公司AAVI科技有限公司(AAVI Technologies)合作,凈化北京市萬(wàn)達(dá)影城內(nèi)的空氣。AAVI表示,這一合作會(huì)“讓萬(wàn)達(dá)影城內(nèi)的觀眾擁有非常健康的觀影環(huán)境,享受來(lái)自芬蘭的清潔空氣”。
The malls are not alone. International schools in Beijing woo prospective parents on thequality of their air and the strictness of their guidelines for recess outside, with some buildingdomes over tennis courts and playing fields. High-end gyms also compete on their air filtrationcapacity. Coffee shops post signs saying air filters are on.
商場(chǎng)并不是唯一這么做的機(jī)構(gòu)。北京的國(guó)際學(xué)校也用其空氣質(zhì)量和其暫停戶(hù)外活動(dòng)的規(guī)定之嚴(yán)格來(lái)吸引潛在的學(xué)生家長(zhǎng),部分學(xué)校在網(wǎng)球場(chǎng)和操場(chǎng)上加蓋了穹頂。高端健身房也在空氣凈化能力上展開(kāi)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。咖啡店則張貼告示稱(chēng),自己店內(nèi)開(kāi)著空氣凈化器。
This week, the city announced it would install air filters in state-run preschools, elementaryschools and high schools. In some, parents have already joined forces to pay for filtersthemselves.
就在本周,北京市宣布會(huì)在公立幼兒園和中小學(xué)安裝空氣凈化器。在部分學(xué)校,已有家長(zhǎng)自掏腰包、聯(lián)合出資購(gòu)買(mǎi)空氣凈化器。
But a group of fed-up mothers who have checked the malls’ air quality claims have found notall the malls or shops are filtering as well as they claim.
不過(guò),一群對(duì)商場(chǎng)宣稱(chēng)的空氣質(zhì)量作過(guò)檢測(cè)的媽媽沮喪地發(fā)現(xiàn),并非所有商場(chǎng)和店鋪都像其聲稱(chēng)的那樣在凈化空氣。
“When we got the results, all of us were shocked and very disappointed. I was about to cry,”said Yan Jiangning, who set up a public social media account called Daxiaoaiwan or “Big andSmall Love Playing” that rates play venues for small children. Ms Yan organised volunteers tocheck the air quality in 60 public spaces in Beijing in mid-December, when the outdoor qualityindex hovered around 500 (anything under 100 is considered good air quality). Many turnedout to be little better than the air outside.
“大小愛(ài)玩”公號(hào)的創(chuàng)立者嚴(yán)江寧表示:“檢測(cè)結(jié)果出來(lái)時(shí),我們都很震驚,也很失望。我差點(diǎn)哭了。”“大小愛(ài)玩”是一個(gè)點(diǎn)評(píng)推薦親子活動(dòng)場(chǎng)所的社交媒體公眾號(hào)。去年12月中旬,嚴(yán)江寧組織志愿者檢測(cè)了北京60處公共場(chǎng)所的空氣質(zhì)量,當(dāng)時(shí)北京市戶(hù)外空氣質(zhì)量指數(shù)徘徊在500左右(該指數(shù)低于100被視為空氣質(zhì)量良好)。結(jié)果顯示,許多場(chǎng)所的空氣質(zhì)量并不比戶(hù)外好多少。
Their best result? The National Museum beside Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, which was recentlyrenovated with advanced air control systems to protect the art works on display.
他們檢測(cè)出的空氣質(zhì)量最佳的場(chǎng)所是?北京天安門(mén)廣場(chǎng)旁的國(guó)家博物館。那里最近翻修過(guò),安裝了先進(jìn)的空氣控制系統(tǒng),以保護(hù)館內(nèi)展出的藝術(shù)品。