China To Ban Smoking

[roddy]

Yeah, it's easy to forget that not that long ago people in the UK and elsewhere would think nothing of going out for a few drinks then having a cigarette while driving home with the kids rolling around unbelted in the back seat.

[rob07]

It would be far too colonial for a 外国人 to become Emperor of China.

If the Mongols and Manchus can do it, why not Roddy? He starts out ahead because he already lives in Beijing.

[Kenny同志]

They should also ban car horn honking and require cars to stop for pedestrians.

I stongly feel the same need. Each time I cross the street, I have to be extremely watchful because few drivers would slow down when a zebra crossing is in their sight. I got almost scared to death the other day when a bus, which was supposed to park at the 公交站牌, rushed straight at me when I was standing in the zebra crossing section. I was so frightened that I was petrified like a log. It made me furious the driver was ignorant of the zebra crossing and didn't stop till the last second. He didn't apologise either. Such drivers are simply TOO MANY 马路杀手！

[Kenny同志]

If the Mongols and Manchus can do it, why not Roddy? He starts out ahead because he already lives in Beijing.

You'd better not make such jokes.

[Shadowdh]

Yeah, it's easy to forget that not that long ago people in the UK and elsewhere would think nothing of going out for a few drinks then having a cigarette while driving home with the kids rolling around unbelted in the back seat.

What do you mean would or did... I see plenty of people who do that now, smoke in one hand, mobile in the other and the kids in the back performing some sort of wrestling move... :o

[Chinadoog]

Does anyone have a link to a news article about this?

[roddy]

There's one here, but they're not hard to find. Chinese one here.

To drive the message home further, ministry employees will no longer be allowed to give cigarettes as gifts, a common tradition in Chinese business culture.

Back to good old cash then . . .

[simonlaing]

During the Shanghai Expo they have instituted a smoking ban in most restaurants and Bars which is pretty good.

I haven't been out much lately, but it does seem to make a big difference. Though at a dive bar with KTV girls and poker the smoke was quite thick.

The Change in the US happen over 2 or 3 years not decades. Massachusetts led the way (thank you very much. )If smoking is so widely banned what will happen at weddings and business deals? (Though in the weddings that I have been to most YUPie weddings there was not ceremonial lighting cigarettes. This contrasted to rural, party-related or SOE related weddings which had lots of smoking. )

The D trains are all non-smoking which means at stops there's a huge crowd of men puffing hurriedly around the door.

what do you think?

have fun,

Simon:)

[jbradfor]

The Change in the US happen over 2 or 3 years not decades. Massachusetts led the way (thank you very much. )

Your facts are pretty far off.

The first state to ban smoking in public places was Minnesota (thank you very much!) in 1975. [And I would assume some cities banned it earlier, but I don't have a reference.] So you can call that the legal start. According to Wikipedia, "As of April 2009 there were 37 states with some form of smoking ban." Since that is not 50 states, the change, 35 years later, is still happening. I would certainly call that decades.

Where you lived it might have only taken 2-3 years. But that is not the entire USA. [bTW, MA had a total smoking ban effective July 5, 2004. California was the first with a total smoking ban (i.e. including bars and restaurants) in 1998.]

I would expect a similar trend in China. Starting in the cities, and taking decades to reach every nook and cranny of the countryside.

LATER EDIT: also, keep in mind that "smoking ban" covers a lot of different possible bans. The exact sequence varies from place to place, but in general the bans start with government offices and public places (e.g. libraries), then adds a non-smoking section to restaurants, then makes restaurants all non-smoking (when people realize that a non-smoking section is pretty worthless), then banning smoking in private work places, then ban smoking in bars. Currently, in the USA, the "cutting edge" for smoking bans include on sidewalk, in cars when kids are present, and in public-owned parks (often due to littering concerns, and in some places, wildfires). Obviously, the ultimate smoking ban is to making selling cigarettes illegal.

Edited May 18, 2010 at 02:39 PM by jbradfor

[roddy]

Out of interest, to what extent do others ask people to stop smoking in signed non-smoking areas? I do sometimes, but I pick my battles - one guy in a cafe where nobody else is smoking lights up and I'm quite happy to pop over and politely point out the no doubt unintentional error. But if it's a table full of topless 二锅头 imbibers at their local restaurant with one tobacco-stained no-smoking sign on the wall I'll let it slide. I don't like to ask staff to do it for me as they have enough to do already.

I'm also more likely to say something at places I'm a regular, or will be sitting for a long time.

Never had any complaints - at least not to my face. It's usually just an 'oh, sorry' and they either stub it out or move. Nobody's even accused me of cultural imperialism.

Don't think I've seen any Chinese people do this, but I have noticed people complaining to staff about a restaurant being too smoky or asking to be seated away from the table of smokers.

[Don_Horhe]

On Sunday there was a guy smoking right under the 请勿吸烟 sign near the sinks in the WC in a shopping mall here in Wuhan. While I was washing my hands I looked at him, then at the sign, then back at him, then at the sign one more time, and finally asked him "你不认识字吗？" I got a nervous and embarrassed "Sorry" and he put it out.

[roddy]

Shopping mall toilets are bad as you often get staff sneaking in there for a smoke break. I never say anything as you're in and out pretty quickly (all being well) and there's a very real chance of offending the guy who'll be making your noodles in thirty minutes.

[gougou]

Shopping mall toilets are bad as you often get staff sneaking in there for a smoke break. I never say anything as you're in and out pretty quickly (all being well) and there's a very real chance of offending the guy who'll be making your noodles in thirty minutes.

Also, in most shopping mall toilets I've been too, there were worse smells around than cigarettes smoke...

[anonymoose]

On Sunday there was a guy smoking right under the 请勿吸烟 sign near the sinks in the WC in a shopping mall here in Wuhan. While I was washing my hands I looked at him, then at the sign, then back at him, then at the sign one more time, and finally asked him "你不认识字吗？" I got a nervous and embarrassed "Sorry" and he put it out.

I suggest you don't try that in the UK as you'll probably get knifed for it.

[skylee]

On Sunday there was a guy smoking right under the 请勿吸烟 sign near the sinks in the WC in a shopping mall here in Wuhan. While I was washing my hands I looked at him, then at the sign, then back at him, then at the sign one more time, and finally asked him "你不认识字吗？" I got a nervous and embarrassed "Sorry" and he put it out.

This sounds quite rude. You could ask him to stop smoking pointing at the sign, but implying that he could not read was quite offensive, IMO. He did not react strongly probably because you are a foreigner.

[jbradfor]

As opposed to the rudeness of smoking right next to a non-smoking sign?

I like Don_Horhe's way, although I'm not sure I'd do it myself. When people knowingly and purposely break society's politeness norms, they show a disrespect for other people that being polite to them will not change. If one continues to mock and embarrass them, then my hope is that over time they will get uncomfortable enough breaking the norms to stop. Not of of respect for others -- that won't change -- but out of fear of embarrassment.

As least that's my opinion of human nature.

[roddy]

I'm not sure there's much point in meeting rudeness with rudeness, seems a bit unnecessary. I try (and sometimes fail) to at least start polite. Big cities can be dehumanizing enough as it is without adding to it all.

[Don_Horhe]

Yes, I know it was slightly rude, but, as jbradfor said, him smoking conceitedly right under the non-smoking sign was way worse. He wasn't part of the staff, either - just some random guy who was too lazy to go down one floor. The reason I actually said something was that together with a friend we'd been working there doing a promotion for a cosmetics store giving away pamphlets for two consecutive weekends, so every single time either of us went to the bathroom there would be somebody smoking inside. Initially I simply ignored them, but after a couple of times it started getting on my nerves, hence my reaction.

[roddy]

Yeah, can understand where you are coming from, and a couple of times I've done similar things. I try not to though.

Plus, the use of sarcasm could have backfired - he might have just said he can read, what about you? And how's your chopsticks skills?

Which reminds me of a related incident - woman in one of my regular cafe-offices listening to Chinese pop loudly through her tinny little netbook speakers. I ill-advisedly applied sarcasm and asked her to turn it up as not everyone could hear clearly. She kindly moved to the table next to me, as it was already at maximum volume.

[Flying Pigeon]

It's a long haul from downtown to Shunyi and Miyun, so passengers tend to light up on bus 970. If I see someone smoking, or smell smoke, I tell the person selling tickets. It usually does the trick. It doesn't help though when after reaching the final station, the driver immediately lights up in the bus. The other day, I saw the driver of a smaller local bus smoking while driving.

The other night a guy was smoking in the elevator at my apartment. I was tempted to say something, but I'm learning how to choose my battles. A guy got on with his kid and the guy smoking, immediately put out his cigarette. How considerate.

I'm not sure there's much point in meeting rudeness with rudeness . . . . Big cities can be dehumanizing enough as it is without adding to it all.

Well said!

I've learned to keep my head down and mouth shut.