China To Ban Smoking

[roddy]

Was on an inter-city bus over the recent holiday - driver was smoking, but with the window open, and he put his cigarette down when taking phone calls. So that wasn't too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

[roddy]

So, I'm not currently on the mainland, but I'd imagine preparations for this are in full swing? Must have been a massive public education campaign, yes? TV adverts, leaflets in venues affected, a lot of no-smoking signs going up? Yes? Surely?

[adrianlondon]

Of course. And there's a huge protest by the smoking lobby in Tiananmen Square.

[anonymoose]

Has Roddy been deported?

[roddy]

I'm on a lovely long holiday in Greater China. On the basis that if it's greater, I should go see it.

Reminds me, in China, smoking is worse for your health.

[roddy]

Been a month and no feedback on the smoking ban? Seriously, I'd love to know if there have been any changes.

[abcdefg]

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

It has happened more than once that I ask for a non-smoking room at the front desk when checking in. "No problem" they assure me. When I get to the room a 服务员 sprays some air freshener around and takes away the ashtray, thus instantly creating a non-smoking room. Chinese hotel magic.

The smoking ban sure has not reached Kunming, so far as I can tell. You could have a pack-a-day habit and live just fine here without spending a dime, simply surviving on second-hand smoke.

[anonymoose]

I think it's going to be difficult to implement a ban with this kind of upbringing.

[roddy]

Full ban on smoking in public being rolled. 

 

It sounds pretty implausible, but Hong Kong has banned it in lots of public spaces (not on the street, but on beaches, etc) and while enforcing it would be every so slightly an uphill struggle, if you give police the right to fine folk they may well be quite enthusiastic. 

[gato]

The ubiquitous 城管 would love a new source of income.

[Matty]

The ubiquitous 城管 would love a new source of income.

 

They've taken away everything (every street food) I love... It would be nice to see them finally take away something I hate.

[tysond]

The only Asian city I am familiar that has come close to doing this successfully is Singapore (not that familiar with HK maybe they are getting there too).  Most indoor spaces are smoke free.

 

However, there are smoking rooms and areas in larger pubs and clubs, that are packed to the ceiling, and outdoor areas (which all new venues incorporate into their design) include smoking squares marked off by yellow lines, and you need to arrive early to get a table in them (weather is OK for this all year round). Cigarette packets are S$12+ (60rmb) but the price is not a deterrent.  

 

But China is not Singapore.  Singapore tackled smoking after eradicating spitting, wiping out almost all corruption, enforcing traffic rules, and making drugs rather difficult to get...  With low level corruption the norm, any ban on smoking will just give an avenue for harassment of venue owners and turning a blind eye to the smoking, putting costs up for everyone but not changing anything.

[Touchstone57]

Interesting article there by Roddy. China’s premier Li Keqiang overseas China’s public health policy and his brother runs the state owned tobacco monopoly. I think we are fighting a losing battle here – especially if top government officials are ‘overseeing’ the research into the health effects of smoking…

 

When I arrived I China I wondered if there was some type of conspiracy going on. Because every public toilet I visited had the lingering smell of smoke and perhaps cigarette ash in the toilets. Some restaurant toilets also have no smoking signs; however they helpfully put ashtrays above the urinals and burned incense to remove the smell of smoke. I thought, is it universal in Chinese culture that toilets are designated as smoking rooms? In some restaurants, they distinguish the male and female toilets buy showing a picture of smoke pipe for mean, and a pair of shoes for women. Anyone else seen this?

[skylee]

The only Asian city I am familiar that has come close to doing this successfully is Singapore (not that familiar with HK maybe they are getting there too). Most indoor spaces are smoke free.

As far as I know, the ban is very successful in HK. It seems to me that smokers only smoke on the streets, in outdoor areas of restaurants, in designated smoking areas (there are not a lot) or in their own homes. HK people are now used to smoking on the streets.

 

I travelled with a tour group a few years ago and there were a few smokers in the group. We were in a Balkan country (not sure which one) and these smokers went out to smoke in the cold outside the hotel, then returned to find that there were locals smoking in the hotel lobby. These HK people were so used to smoking outside that they thought this rule was applicable everywhere.

[gato]

If the Chinese government can enforce something as intrusive and unpopular as the one-child policy, there is no reason it can't enforce a no smoking policy if it puts its mind to it.

[anonymoose]

If the Chinese government can enforce something as intrusive and unpopular as the one-child policy

 

But many people violate this policy also.

[gato]

The vast majority follow it. You can verify by asking how many people around you in their 20s have siblings.

[anonymoose]

Yes. I know quite a few. (Admittedly it is the minority, but still quite a few.)

[gato]

Less than 10%? 5%?

[anonymoose]

Less than 5%, probably. But, then, I know quite a lot of people.