Despite years of health campaigns and growing awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke, smoking in public remains a problem across China. Now, with both government action and public pressure intensifying, are smoke-free environments finally within reach?
Xu Jiao was startled when a man stubbed his cigarette into her bowl at a Changsha restaurant while reaching for the phone she was using to film the encounter. The Chinese actress had been having lunch with her mother last December when they noticed the man smoking at a nearby table. After staff repeatedly asked him to stop, Xu confronted him herself, but he refused, claiming there was no no-smoking sign in the restaurant. Xu called the police, but they told her there was no legislation prohibiting indoor smoking in Changsha, so they couldn’t penalize him. When Xu posted the video on Weibo, it quickly sparked public debate. Many were shocked to learn that, while many Chinese cities have regulations on smoking in public spaces, there is no national law addressing the issue.
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Is China Finally Moving Toward Smoke-Free Public Places? is a story from our issue, “Urban Renewal.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
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