Beijing's air quality has improved as much as 16 per cent over the past year, but the gain has come at costs of jobs and growth, recently released figures suggest.
To continue the downward trend, more painful decisions will have to be made and that could further threaten China's economic growth.
On the outskirts of Beijing lie the rusted relics of a coal-fired brickworks in the village of Chaomidian.
It was one of the first factories to be shut down in a government campaign to close the big polluting, small factories that surround Beijing.
Nearly 200 workers lost their jobs at the brickworks when it was shut down in December 2014.
Many were migrant workers and have since returned back to their provinces.
The living quarters lie abandoned with posters and clothes still in the tiny rooms.
Manager and owner Han Feng-ge still lives near the site.
"Our personal loss is around $4 million and families have lost their income," she told the ABC.
"Lives have been destroyed."
Ms Han said she was promised compensation from the China Environment Protection Bureau and the Beijing Finance Bureau, but has so far received nothing.
She said the thought of her predicament makes her cry.
"If the Government doesn't keep their word, if I don't get the compensation money, I will totally go down," she said.
"I can't rebuild.