More expatriates are considering moving to coastal areas like Xiamen or Shenzhen to escape the much-publicized smog that has come to blight many in-land cities such as Beijing.
Even though, only three cities - Haikou in Hainan, Lhasa in Tibet, and Zhoushan in Zhejiang – met air quality targets in 2013, Shenzhen was in the top ten of cities with the 'best' air quality in China, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
So why are more foreign workers leaving Beijing? According to China Daily Asia, Li Li, a senior consultant at Asia-Pacific Human Resources in Shenzhen, believes that "more professionals in areas such as management, design and accounting have gone to Hong Kong, and foreign-language teachers have moved to Shenzhen and Guangzhou," citing the “deterioration in air quality in the capital” as the main reason for this exodus.
According to Yang Sha, the general manager at Angelina International Placement Services in Beijing, the capital has traditionally been the first or second choice for foreigners wanting to teach languages in China, but not anymore. He says that “Now we find Beijing is no longer appealing and foreigners prefer to work in cities in southern provinces.”
Now that job opportunities are emerging nationwide, expats have more options, even if cities such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou can't really be accused of having clean air.
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