Environmental experts warn that a campaign to tackle the mainland's air pollution through legal means looks doomed to fail.
They give various reasons for their bleak outlook, including poor air quality standards and local governments whose priority is still to maximise growth.
The extent of the problem was brought home last month when Beijing was blanketed by heavy smog on 26 days and saw air pollution readings hit record levels.
Pollution is cited as a factor by the growing number of white-collar workers leaving the country. In 2011, more than 150,000 mainlanders became resident in the major immigration countries: the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
So when property tycoon Pan Shiyi called for a Clean Air Act on the mainland last month, he received overwhelming support. Of the 57,000 microbloggers who registered their opinion, 98.9 per cent agreed that a law was needed.
Such legislation has proved effective in cities once choked by severe smog, including London, Los Angeles and Tokyo.