While waiting to take off this morning, Cathay Pacific flight CX365 from Shanghai to Hong Kong was suddenly evacuated via its emergency slides after flight attendants noticed smoke in the cabin. more ›

Bill Gates and Baidu CEO Robin Li recently announced the joint launch of an anti-smoking initiative entitled “Alliance for Healthy China”. Their slogan “Say no to forced smoking" is meant to encourage smokers to be respectful of their surrounding and not “force” second hand smoke onto their immediate company. Along with educating the public, this campaign is meant to provide resources for current smokers to explore methods that could help them quit. more ›

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 ›

If you've been reading Shanghaiist for a while, you'll probably have seen some of the smoking baby videos we've posted on here. Behind the Wall points us to yet another of these videos that has popped up recently, igniting another round of debate on smoking. In this video, two young boys are seen puffing away on cigarettes on a moving train, but unfortunately, there's no information on where the train was headed, where these kids are from, and who their parents are.
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A year after the smoking ban was supposedly introduced here in Shanghai, the national government has decided to make a similar China-wide smoking ban in all cities and towns. The ban will prohibit smoking in public places, including on buses and in restaurants and bars. more ›

For those of you counting, this makes baby smoking video number three. GUH. There should be a special place in hell for TV producers who label smoking babies "handsome." 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 ›

Concern has been raised over the impact of on-screen smoking on China's youth as the country continues to struggle with poorly-managed smoking bans (or ones that failed to happen at all). Although tobacco ads are banned on radio, TV, and newspapers, smoking in shows and movies is not regulated and tobacco companies are still allowed to do things like sponsor big sports events. Now, the China Association on Tobacco Control (CATC) has called for a ban on tobacco product placement and smoking scenes on TV and in movies - which would be a noticeable change: last August, the CATC found that 31 out of 40 movies and 28 out of 30 TV shows surveyed had smoking scenes. Xinhua reporters monitored seven TV channels for two hours from 8pm to 10pm last week and found 49 screen shots of smoking, something a Beijing CDC study has proven can make about one out of three middle schoolers keen to try it. With 350 million smokers and growing, no wonder the WHO is warning of a Chinese "death wave" if smoking habits don't let up. more ›

This must be the biggest shocker of the year. "A lack of state-level legislation, ineffective administration, low-priced cigarettes and deep-rooted tobacco culture have prevented China from meeting its deadline today for a total nationwide smoking ban in all public places, Xinhua News Agency reports." No, no, not the fact that Chinese people smoke like chimneys and the smoking ban did absolutely nothing to change that, I'm referring to Xinhua telling it like it is for once. No word on what the government is going to do next about the utter disregard for the regulation. more ›

"Shanghainese are smoking and drinking too much, eating too much of the the wrong things, not exercising enough and becoming fatter." 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 ›

Jeepers. It’s time to put down that cigarette, take a (deep) breath of semi-fresh air, and read up on these latest smoking statistics in China. more ›

How has the Shanghai smoking ban, which was announced with much aplomb back in March, been faring? In the months since, just one place has been punished for violating the tobacco control law - an internet cafe in Baoshan District that was just issued a 2000RMB fine for allowing smokers during two different spot checks. So... either Shanghai's been really good about not smoking where designated, or it looks like all those enforcement problems came to fruition. more ›

The biggest question on our minds right now: Does this mean we'll finally have smoke-free restaurants, bars and clubs?:

China is set to implement a ban on smoking in all indoor public places including workplaces and public transport vehicles from January 2011. more ›

The city's first smoking ban, which we followed from the time it was a wee bit of an idea to when it began being enforced against certain (underage) people, has officially taken effect for everyone today. The new law gives those who smoke in public places fines from 50RMB to 200RMB. more ›

Remember that smoking ban most recently imposed upon middle school students? Now word on the street is that it will soon be extended to huffers and puffers over the age of 12. The proposed ban against all smokers, sponsored by prominent American and Chinese private health organizations, is currently being workshopped in Beijing, with officials from our fair city being joined by representatives from Qingdao, Tangshan, Ningbo, Wuxi, Changsha and Luoyang. more ›

Shanghai Daily reports today that the city's rolling smoking ban has been expanded to middle schools around town. We're not really sure what's more striking: the fact that the ban didn't include schools with young students to begin with, or the fact that people smoke in schools regularly.The new policy will include maximum fines up to 30,000RMB, which we imagine is a hefty fine if you're a middle schooler. 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 ›

Who would've thought that the most populous city of a nation that contains one-third of the world’s smokers would have people proposing public area smoking bans so sweeping it even makes us gag? Yet another advocate has come out of the woodwork to join the growing call for a comprehensive smoking ban in Shanghai’s restaurants, pubs... and even individual rooms in karaoke bars. 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 ›

Giving its admittedly lame smoking law some more teeth, city legislators have served up a new draft legislation called the "Shanghai public tobacco control law" that would actually begin fining individuals for taking drags in prohibited locations. more ›

Those of you smokers hoping to quit healthily using those newfangled electronic cigarettes coming out of China as a crutch... Sorry - turns out that they're just as bad as the real thing, just in a different way. 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 ›

• What do you notice in this view of Kunming? [James Fallows] "Every roof as far as you can see has solar-thermal panels for hot water heating. More to come shortly on China's general environmental/climate situation, but I think this vista is different from that in many US cities — among other details you might notice, in the prevalence of the panels."
• Smoking kills - but few aware [People's Daily Online] "One-third of doctors in the country do not know smoking causes coronary heart disease, and nearly four in five do not know passive smoking can cause sudden infant death syndrome, a report revealed yesterday. Also, three in five smokers do not know that smoking causes heart disease, and four in five do not know it could lead to a stroke, the national tobacco control office of the Ministry of Health said in the report."
• 'Oldest pottery' found in China [BBC News] "Examples of pottery found in a cave at Yuchanyan in China's Hunan province may be the oldest known to science. By determining the fraction of a type, or isotope, of carbon in bone fragments and charcoal, the specimens were found to be 17,500 to 18,300 years old."

The anti-smoking campaigns have begun! Well... at least they've begun in Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport, which just enacted a new smoking ban in all restaurants, toilets, offices and other public spaces inside the terminals. The enforcement is pretty stringent too - any business contaminated with evidence of cigarette smoking, such as the smell of smoke or wayward butts, will be fined upwards of 1000RMB. Now the only place to take a drag will be one of the five specially ventilated smoking rooms after the security check-in. Apparently, you're still allowed to puff away at the Pudong International Airport... for now. Source: Shanghai Daily 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 ›

China's Health Minister, Chen Zhu, has cautioned medical workers to quit smoking, in order to “set a good example for their patients and others who look up to them,” according to China Daily. About 320 million people are smokers right now, and growing rates of lung cancer and emphysema have become a major health concern. But without laws, taxes and other regulations in place, we can't help but think Mr. Chen won't have much luck seeing an end to smoking doctors. After all, it's not like they haven't been trying to get them to quit for years already. more ›

Sorry, Shanghai smokers! The ban on smoking in public venues has now been extended to all indoor workplaces in an attempt to clear the city's air of cigarette smoke by 2011. By indoor workplaces, they mean "all places with ceilings and at least three walls." So basically... everywhere. more ›

Guess some kids get started on the ciggies a lot earlier than others. A lot earlier. Source: ZhongNanHai Blog more ›