Beijing’s expatriate community lost one of its finest Wednesday as Mike Murphy, the man who brought the IQAir brand to Beijing, died suddenly at his home in the Lido area.

A resident of Beijing for over a decade, Mike was the very definition of a self-made man. He arrived in 2004 with his pregnant wife, having been a landscaper in the US, and started his business by selling Christmas trees in the parking lot of Pinnacle Plaza in Shunyi, at a time when they were virtually impossible to buy in Beijing.

"We arrived with very little money and no job prospects. Our first apartment cost us RMB 1,000 and had a pipe in the ceiling that dripped enough water to call it a ‘shower,’" Mike recalled in a 2009 interview in the Beijinger. "Starbucks was a once-a-month treat."

His interactions selling trees to Shunyi expats soon had him retailing high-end grills, trampolines and other hard-to-find accessories.

With a true entrepreneurial spirit, he was the first person in China to reach out to Swiss-based IQAir to ask for the rights to sell their high-end air filtration machines in China.

We Beijing expats take air quality awareness for granted in 2015, but Mike started his business at a time when air masks and filtration devices were almost non-existent in China, and neither the US Embassy nor the Chinese government reguarly published air quality data.

In 2006 when his first batch IQAir machines went on sale in Beijing, many scoffed at the idea that people would be willing to pay a premium for cleaner air in their homes and offices. They were wrong: the products were an instant hit.

Along the way, his business profoundly impacted expats’ perceptions of Beijing’s air quality and enabled them to protect themselves against its dangers. By extension, he paved the way for more entrepreneurs to import and develop the vast array of air filtration devices that serve both the expatriate and the local markets now.

It’s hard to exaggerate the impact Mike has had on Beijing’s international community. The machines he retailed have graced the living spaces of countless homes and offices, and his active promotion of the brand and its specifications helped make "HEPA filtration" and "PM 2.5" part of the common vernacular of the typical Beijing expat. His business has also profoundly impacted the Chinese community as well, with IQAir among the most well-known brands in major cities across the country.

Mike was a modest person who never forgot his humble upbringings and was always eager to share his business advice. He and his four brothers and sisters were raised by their single mother, with utitilies regularly turned off due to lack of payment, he told Start Up Noodle in 2014.

"From the age of 12 on, I have always been working—I can’t remember a stretch of time that I wasn’t doing odd jobs for money.  And honestly, since the age of 12, I can’t remember a time that I didn’t have all the things I needed and many of the things I wanted," he was quoted as saying.

His strong work ethic propelled him to success in each of the ventures he started, and he enjoyed the ride as an entrepreneur. "I have loved every minute of every day that I have worked on my own," he told Start Up Noodle. "Almost every one of my friends and family growing up express discontent for their jobs or careers, some even express hatred. I have never experienced this and wouldn’t even know what to do if I did."

An avid traveler, Mike had been to over 40 countries before arriving in Beijing, and continued the tradition with his children. For the past year he has split his time between Beijing and Vancouver, where his kids have been going to school.

"Mike had an inspirational story both as a man and as an entrepreneur," recalled fellow entrepreneur and Beijing resident Jim James. "He overcame difficulties with good humor, determination and humility. He leaves behind more than he came with and so will always be remembered in my heart and mind."

Mike was a strong supporter of True Run Media’s products and via this support, allowed us to do what we do.

As of publication, there was no indication of the cause of death but foul play was not suspected.

He is survived by his wife and two children, as well as extended family in the US and in Canada. He also leaves hundreds of friends, customers, and business associates in Beijing.

"Our customers are from all over the world, and each of them has their own story to tell," Mike said in our 2009 interview with him. "I love the fact that we are able to make a difference in their lives by bringing them those things that they want and need."

A memorial service in Beijing for Mike is set for April 17 in Beijing at the River of Grace church in Wangjing (see graphic above).

Our thoughts go out to Mike’s family and friends.

Rest in Peace, Mike.

Photo: the Beijinger

As the smog lifts on another series of “Beyond Index” days in Beijing, parents are taking a deep breath and praying for a great weekend for the kids.

Next weekend, we know one place that is guaranteed to have good air: the Beijing International School Expo Jan 24-25 at the Kerry. Our lead sponsor, Healthpro, will have their top-of-the-line IQAir machines on full blast to assure no matter what the AQI, the air inside the expo will be first-rate.

That means that your child can have fun at one of our expo’s three designated play areas in a safe environment while you learn more about which of Beijing’s schools best suits their needs. HealthPro will also have many of its models on display, along with company representatives on hand that can answer any of your queries about how to clean the air at your home or office.

And while air quality weighs heavily on most expats’ minds during this time of year, the issue seems especially pertinent right now, given the air this week.

At the expo parents can visit HealthPro’s booth to ask about the company’s air quality assessment service (which tests pollution levels in your home, see Tip #5 here for more details), and find out more information about how IQAir purifiers safeguard homes from PM2.5 particles.

Such devices are becoming more and more of a prerequisite in Beijing, especially after sales increased by six-fold this time two years ago, during a period that was then considered to be “the worst stretch of air pollution in Beijing on record.”

And while PM2.5 levels decreased last year— from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter to 85.9 percent, but an improvement nonetheless—  our budding optimism was quickly dashed by reports that PM10 levels jumped in 2014 by 7.1 percent.

These “coarse” PM10 particles are bigger than their notorious PM2.5 counterparts, and less harmful because they are mostly derived from the crushing of rocks and soil for construction and farming.

PM2.5s, meanwhile, stem from coal plants, cars and other toxic exhaust fumes (see here for more information). For many expats, especially parents, these latest developments make air purifiers all the more appealing. 

You can find out more information at HealthPro’s website. And be sure check here for updates about the school expo here.

Most of us in Beijing are already conditioned to equip our homes with air filtration devices due to the city’s deadly air – but how many of us bother to check regularly if our air filters are actually still doing their job?

I have the HealthPro by IQ Air AG and it does a bang-up job (proven with a handy particulate matter measuring device we picked up on Taobao), and I replace the filters as recommended. However, one of the basic premises of air filtration is that if the air isn’t actually passing through the filters, it’s not going to be filtered – which means maintaining good airflow is critical.

After playing around with my measuring device and finding the readings high in my living room, I flipped over my HealthPro only to find that the bottom filter where air comes in was caked with a thick matt of household dust, and further investigation revealed a rather constricted airflow coming out of the top of the device.

I immediately sprung into action and used an ordinary household vacuum to remove the think pad of dust – and my problem was solved. Since then, I’ve made it a regular weekly chore – every Saturday I turn my HealthPros on their side and vacuum out the bottom filter. The vaccuming is simple – the only tricky part is turning the machine on its side to access its underbelly. Make sure you unplug the machine first.

Even on good air weeks I’ll typically find a layer of dust, so I do it religiously every week and I’m assured of peak airflow from my units.

If you’re too lazy or organizationally challenged to do this weekly, a handy way to test airflow (albeit unscientifically) is to drape a Kleenex tissue over the top of the unit and let half it hang over the side at the fold. While holding the tissue with one hand, snap a pic of the billowing tissue at the speed you typically have your machine set on. Then you’ll have a reference for the airflow that you can test regularly; when the tissue droops at that speed, it’s probably time to vacuum the intake.

So you’ve got your mask, you’ve got your air filtration system – now take the next step and make sure it’s working.

This post first appeared on theebijinger.com on June 30.

Photo courtesy of Mike Wester