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| Image from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20070829/001aa018ff9c083f0b8e01.jpg |
According to the article on en.huanqiu.com there are about 316 million smokers in China and about 6.4 million people have died from tobacco related diseases as of 2015. The same article found that those who lived in poor areas smoked more often. However, in my experience I have seen a lot of Chinese people smoke no matter if the city is Beijing, Shanghai, or Jiaxing.
The smoke that comes off Chinese cigarettes is very different than American cigarettes. I would say it smells heavier and more like chemicals than American brands. This could be because Chinese cigarettes have more metals in them.
Whatever you might be thinking, there are rules about smoking in public in China but they are not as strict as they are in the USA and the smokers are a bit more...aggressive. In my own apartment there is a sign in the elevator that says 'no smoking' and it has been torn down by angry smokers three times now. It is amazing that there is someone in my building who is so desperate to smoke on their 30 second elevator ride that they would tear down a sign so they can have deniability. No matter the place people will try to say that they didn't know that smoking was not allowed.
Smoking in restaurants, in elevators, and in parks are commonplace. As an American, this was a culture shock for me since the only places you can smoke are in outside designated areas or in your own home. There are smoking bans in China; the non-smoking areas include schools, temples, and subways. Children's hospitals are a non-smoking destination, however regular hospitals seem to be exempt. I was shocked when on my first hospital visit people were smoking in the lobby areas and in the halls there were people lighting up. That would never be possible in America!
I have also noticed that most smokers are men and I found this observation was correct from the article on chinaplus.cri.cn. I couldn't find a reason as to why this was; it is clearly a cultural influence. It is surprising to me that even my male friends who like to lift weights or play basketball smoke almost a pack a day. When I asked them about it they said they understood the dangers of smoking but didn't plan on quitting.
One last item I noticed about smoking is the boxes they are sold in. In America, the boxes have a General Surgeon warning on the box telling people the dangers of smoking. In Australia the boxes will have grotesque pictures on them showing what can happen to you if you continue to smoke.
Chinese cigarette boxes are actually pretty. The popular brand is made of shiny red paper with a gold building on the front; no warning, no gross pictures, just shiny red and gold. I know Chinese people who like foreign smokes but refuse to look at the boxes because of the warnings.
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| Image from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Chunghwa_Filter_Kings.jpg |
Smoking is so prevalent that it is common for brides and grooms to give out cigarettes as party favors during weddings and they are a popular gift during Chinese New Year. Smoking is a cultural phenomena that you will definitely have to get used to when you are here.
So if you come to China, try not to get smoked out.
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