On May 1st an indoor smoking ban was put into effect. I never thought they would attempt this in China. People smoke EVERYWHERE. Literally EVERYWHERE. Remember the guy smoking while lighting the firecrackers? It is also not rare to be in an elevator with a smoker. It goes without saying that the table next to yours at a restaurant will probably be smoking. I haven't noticed anything different in any indoor establishments since the ban - not even no smoking signs.
When the ban took effect I was in Beijing. I ate in one restaurant where they asked if we wanted to sit in the smoking section or the non smoking section. I haven't been asked that question in years. It's very possible they've always asked that because the ban is for no smoking indoors not seperating the smokers from the non smokers.
300 million people smoke in China. 1.2 million people die from smoking-related diseases every year. This is 1/5th of the deaths per year in the entire world.
I read an article in the China Daily newspaper about the ban and how people were feeling. Here's a quote: "My friends will give me strange looks if I refuse to smoke with them," said the 29-year-old. "Besides, distributing cigarettes has become a tradition in many Chinese places, and that can hardly change overnight," he added.
In China, you can't argue with tradition, even if it's ultimately going to kill you.
A restaurant manager told the newspaper, "We will try stopping customers who smoke in our restaurant, but for those people who refuse to go outside to smoke, to be frank, we can do nothing," she said.
So the bottom line is yes the ban is in effect, but no one is doing anything to enforce it. I suppose bringing attention to the problem is a step but what difference does it make if no one tries to stop smoking or enforces the rules?
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