China To Ban Smoking

[roddy]

China is to implement a WHO anti-smoking convention and ban tobacco in indoor public and work spaces from January next year.

There's already regulations in Beijing banning smoking in a lot of places, but bars and restaurants currently get away with providing a non-smoking area - which may be one half of a small badly-ventilated room, so it's not always ideal. Not sure about other cities.

I can't see this being instantly adopted in Hunanese karaoke joints, but if it makes a bit of difference and encourages people to tell smokers to stub it out, all to the good. There's already increasing awareness I think - you hear people asking if they can smoke somewhere rather than assuming, you see them blowing smoke away from the table when eating with others (often onto my table, but it's a start), and so on. I'm quite vocal about telling smokers if they are in a signed non-smoking area, and have never had any objections.

[Chinadoog]

Nice. In Chengdu, people smoke everywhere. I've even seen people smoking in banks. I'm pretty sure some teachers at my school even smoke in the classrooms on occasion. I've seen ashes on the floor behind the teacher's desks.

I wish China would ban smoking in public places, period. Outside or inside. It's really annoying when you're stuck behind 2+ people on the street who are smoking and get ash on your clothes and smoke in your face.

[doraemon]

Very courageous move, but I'm certain many Chinese smokers who simply can't go one day without smoking a few cigarettes will be furious. I know people who smoke half a packet a day! Crazy.

But funny enough, I've never ever seen a Chinese woman smoke in my entire life, although it's a lot more common in countries like Australia.

[roddy]

Plenty of women smoke in Beijing. I don't count them, but it's certainly not something I think of as unusual. I think in Beijing at least (and I know our currently spring-like capital is not representative) smokers are aware they're kind of on the way out.

One of the things I like about Hong Kong is smoking bans in some open public spaces, including beaches. here's an old topic.

[anonymoose]

A ban would be good, but the crucial point is whether it will be enforced or not.

Next they need to ban spitting, urinating and defecating in public.

[Meng Lelan]

The tour agent told me hotels have non smoking rooms, that's something I never heard of three or four years ago.

[gato]

They should also ban car horn honking and require cars to stop for pedestrians. I don't see that happening within our lifetime.

[roddy]

Oh, don't get me started . . . more than once I've wanted to start a 'When I'm King of China' topic, but thought it might look a little . . . colonial.

Enforcement is obviously crucial, but if they do what they do elsewhere and fine venue owners for letting people smoke it might . . . just . . . nah, pipe dreams.

[rivercao]

Oh I can't believe it, Chinese government should be given credit for this move. Somking in public is disgusting. But it's really hard to ban somking in the whole country. In Beijing and Shanghai it will be easy but in remote places, it's very hard.

The title of the thread is kind of misleading? I was shocked when I saw it.

[Meng Lelan]

Oh, don't get me started . . . more than once I've wanted to start a 'When I'm King of China' topic, but thought it might look at little colonial.

It would be far too colonial for a 外国人 to become Emperor of China. But smoking does need an extensive ban and enforced as well.

[GreenArrow45]

ha,

Maybe it is just where I live, but, I have people here smoking at gas stations, in elevators, pretty much anywhere (regardless of signs clearly saying no smoking)...and they believe anything can be used as an ash tray. I once had a guy fixing my plumbing and he decided to use my table as an ash tray, couldn't even bother to put it in the toilet.

I would certainly love for this to be enforced, but I have little faith that will happen in the next 5 years.

[skylee]

Maybe it is just where I live, but, I have people here smoking at gas stations, in elevators, pretty much anywhere (regardless of signs clearly saying no smoking)...

It's Taiyuan, right? This is exactly the same as my impressions.

[jbradfor]

There's already regulations in Beijing banning smoking in a lot of places, but bars and restaurants currently get away with providing a non-smoking area - which may be one half of a small badly-ventilated room, so it's not always ideal. Not sure about other cities.

I can't see this being instantly adopted in Hunanese karaoke joints, but if it makes a bit of difference and encourages people to tell smokers to stub it out, all to the good. There's already increasing awareness I think - you hear people asking if they can smoke somewhere rather than assuming, you see them blowing smoke away from the table when eating with others (often onto my table, but it's a start), and so on. I'm quite vocal about telling smokers if they are in a signed non-smoking area, and have never had any objections.

I think this is the general trend in reducing smoking everywhere. The reducing smoking campaign followed a similar trend in the USA. First it was a pitiful "non-smoking area", typically just inches from the smoking area, with lots of resentment. Then true non-smoking areas. Then all non-smoking, with assigned "smoking areas". This happened over a period of 1-2 decades, smoking went from something you could assume you could do everywhere, to something you do only at home.

So I applaud China for this, and I see the same long path ahead as what happened in other countries.

[skylee]

smoking went from something you could assume you could do everywhere, to something you do only at home.

In HK it appears to be something you do only on the street.

[Shadowdh]

The gym I went to in Wuhan used to have people smoking there all the time, or it would come wafting up the stairs straight into the gym, funny thing is its something I would NEVER tolerate in the UK but shrugged it off in China as being just how it is...

as for the amount people smoke I am surprised that some here are suprised but a "few a day" or even "half a pack a day" as I know people in the west who outstrip that by more than double...

glad that its being banned more widely now... makes a huuuuuge difference when out and about on a night out, dont come home stinking and so forth (thats in the UK anyway...)

[gougou]

as for the amount people smoke I am surprised that some here are suprised but a "few a day" or even "half a pack a day" as I know people in the west who outstrip that by more than double...

Also in China, there are many that smoke more than that.

I'm all for anything that marginalizes smoking a bit more, but I doubt that this regulation will be easy to pass, not to mention to enforce - even in Beijing or Shanghai. There were talks once to ban disposable chopsticks, weren't there?

[jbradfor]

Speaking of bans, how is the ban on free, thin, disposable plastic bags going there?

[anonymoose]

Speaking of bans, how is the ban on free, thin, disposable plastic bags going there?

No shops or supermarkets provide free plastic bags anywhere in China that I've been to lately. Bags can still be purchased at the checkout for a small fee though.

[Hofmann]

more than once I've wanted to start a 'When I'm King of China' topic,

Do it. If you understand my native speaker threads, I'll understand your King of China thread. Actually, I'm very interested in your idea(l)s.

[wushijiao]

This happened over a period of 1-2 decades, smoking went from something you could assume you could do everywhere, to something you do only at home.

So I applaud China for this, and I see the same long path ahead as what happened in other countries.

I agree with this. It seems basically inconceivable of China (effectively) banning smoking right now in public places, but, societies change quickly, and who's to say what things might be like in 5-20 years.

Also, as in many other areas, the law in China can be more progressive than the actual state on the ground, especially in terms of enforcement and social norms. But at least it gives people a tool to work with.