Did anyone notice? As previously promised, smoking is - as of Sunday - now banned in almost all public indoor spaces, including in hotels, restaurants, theaters and public transport waiting rooms. Non-smokers in offices and factories are still out of luck, as those count as private enough to not fall under the new law. Anyhow, even if it's not enforced right away (or it takes nearly a year for anyone to get any type of fine), it's a notable first step in a less smoky future for this country and may help lower the astonishing 3000 deaths from smoking a day rate we currently have. more ›

Stop the presses! Someone actually got into some measure of trouble for SMOKING in Shanghai! According to Shanghai Daily, a man was detained for three days after being caught smoking in a Metro station. He's the first person in Shanghai to ever be held for violating the new-ish law. "The man, surnamed Chen, was found smoking near a ventilation shaft along Line 3 on March 23, police said. Metro police said his behavior "put subway safety in jeopardy." Usually individual offenders are fined. A cleaner first detected Chen smoking on Line 3's Hongkou Football Stadium Station, an elevated station, about 2:15pm, police said. Police arrived shortly after and Chen threw the cigarette butt on the ground. Chen, 49, was taken to a police station for questioning. He told police he knew that smoking is banned in Metro stations and on subway trains. Chen climbed a safety barrier and hid near the ventilation shaft and track to avoid being seen." more ›

We'd heard about it coming for a while, but I suppose it's finally official: Chinese movies and tv shows are now to "limit" the amount of scenes with people smoking in them. Now, dramas with scenes that contain smoking need to keep them "as short as possible." In addition, minors under the age of 18 can't be shown smoking or buying cigarettes, and characters can't flout smoking laws. The orders from SARFT are supposed to help support "China's stance on tobacco control" and stop entertainment from "mislead(ing) the public, especially the youth." A possibly unintended effect: modern Chinese movies and tv shows will just be that much more out of step with real life. more ›

Lollipops for cigarettes seems like an odd exchange, but Shanghai Children’s Medical Center is hoping that sugar hungry children will help their huffing parents to quit, thereby reducing the number of youth exposed to secondhand smoke. more ›

Update on Shanghai's smoking crackdown: It took three months for the smoking ban to nab one establishment. Now, according to Xinmin, that number has risen to 66 as of June 30. Another 1,345 were given a warning. Unfortunately, that's hardly... well, anything. There's probably 66 stores in one section of a street here in Shanghai. But officials insist that the overall smoking rate in the city has gone down. Stats collected by their team of anti-smoke regulating volunteers found that the smoking rate at banned locations dropped to 28.1% from 37.5%, while incidences where people were discouraged from smoking went from 19% to 51.9%. more ›

Yao Ming, already do-gooder around town and anti-sharks fin activist, is now tackling another problem: smoking. The basketball superstar will now be acting as spokesperson for a new nationwide anti-smoking drive. He'll be delivering public service announcements to discourage people from lighting up and he'll be preaching the no smoke gospel with folk music singer Peng Liyuan, wife of China vice-president Xi Jinping and recent star of the 60th Anniversary gala. more ›

You know our opinion on the smoking bans that the Shanghai government is thinking about putting into place (and if you don't, it's basically this: Ban it! We love going home not reeking of ciggs and no, we don't particularly care that forcing smokers to suck on their deathsticks outdoors inconveniences them), but you now get to state your own, and not just in our comments section! Shanghai lawmakers will be holding a hearing on September 21 to mull over the opinions of residents before they place the final touches on the legislation. Only twenty city residents will be allowed to attend the hearing, but expats are welcome to apply for a seat. Applications will be accepted til next Tuesday - either call 6358-6499 or log onto either www.spcsc.sh.cn or www.eastday.com and give them a piece of your mind. Source: Shanghai Daily more ›

Old habits die hard, but when Shanghai says "No" to smoking, it ain't playin'. Organizers of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 have returned a $29.3 million sponsorship from Shanghai Tobacco after they felt it clashed with the Expo's "living healthier" image. more ›

We thought we'd have another two years before the smoking laws came into effect, but it now looks like Shanghai's ready to ban cigarettes from public places - indoor venues, public transport and work areas - by January 2010. They're even discussing a penalty this time around! Officials say the law will help make the Expo smoke-free when it starts five months after... and since it's attached to the Expo, you can bet people will be enforcing this with maybe slightly more gusto than previous attempts to wipe out the cancer sticks. Still... it IS China. What will officials use as the go to way of establishing guanxi after? Lollipops? Source: Shanghai Daily more ›