Cigarettes have become so deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, the number of smokers in the country, which already accounts for one third of the worlds smokers, is still on the rise.

There is a Chinese saying, “fan hou yi zhi yen, sai guo huo shan xian.”  It means, roughly, that smoking a cigarette after a meal will make you feel better than a living god. The support for this saying can be found in almost any restaurant- there are almost no non-smoking restaurants in China-men light up before, during, and especially after meals, often using the floor or used dishes as ashtrays.

China is a nothing short of a smoker’s paradise. In addition to bars and restaurants, feel free to light up in taxis, elevators, office buildings, airports, even hospitals. Cigarettes cost about 20cents a pack, are sold everywhere, and although sale to minors is illegal, I have never seen nor heard of anyone getting carded.  Lighters don’t come with child safeties either.

Today, in China, it is estimated that fully two thirds of the male population smokes, along with about 7 percent of females over the age of 15. “Oxford epidemiologist Richard Peto predicts that ‘of all the children alive today in China under the age of 20 years, 50 million of them will eventually die from tobacco.’"

Why the heavy smoking? “There is a story told by executives of British American Tobacco (BAT), when the cigarette rolling machine was first invented, James Duke, the U.S. founder of BAT, said, ‘Bring me the atlas.’ When he turned the pages, looking not at maps, but at population figures, he stopped when he came to the figure: Pop: 430,000,000. ‘That,’ he said, ‘is where we are going to sell cigarettes.’ And ‘that’ was China. “ (1)

However, since then, China’s own government, which now owns the tobacco industry in China, can shoulder a good deal of the blame. Cigarette sales reach almost $32 billion a year- that’s a tenth of China’s revenue. Canada’s CTV  reports in 2005 that “the government-run tobacco industry clearly promotes smoking as a way to improve health in the nation of 1.3 billion people. Ads in China tout smoking as a cure-all for diseases and ailments -- from Parkinson's to ulcers. In fact, smoking can even make you smarter and happier, if you listen to the government.” (2)

While research showing cigarette showing can be beneficial to combating Parkinson’s has been published by pro-smoking groups in the West as well,  the effects of such news is much more apparent in China, where the number of smokers is actually on the rise, with about three million new smokers each year joining the existing 350 million already inhaling in China. In 2004, 1.5 million people in China died from smoking.

The government is planning to ban smoking in many establishments in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics, but other than that, does not appear willing to make any changes, like banning tobacco advertising that would impact the revenue of the tobacco industry, and the health of its citizens, in polar directions.

"’China is lagging behind the world,’" said Fang Jiqian, a biostatistics professor at Zhongshan University in Guangzhou who put forward one of the anti- smoking proposals. ‘We face a budget shortage for medical services, so why don't we take measures to control smoking?’"(3)

Health issues aside, cigarettes are an important part of mens’ life in China, although women are expected not to smoke. Cigarettes are often given as gifts; a man may bring local cigarettes from his home to give to friends or business associates.  The price of Chinese cigarettes can vary greatly, from a cheap pack costing about 10Y to a pack of Pandas, the brand Chairman Mao smoked, going for 90Y a pack. Foreign cigarettes are also highly regarded- although most of them are for sale in certain stores in China, the taste is said to be different from imported versions of the same brand.

Cigarettes are often offered as gestures of friendship- if you do smoke, accept the cigarette graciously, perhaps praising the brand, and if your friend offers you a light, it is polite to cup your hand behind the flame, even if there is no wind, while you light your cigarette.

References:
1.    China’s Tobacco Wars. MacKay, Judith. Multinational Monitor, 1992. http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1992/01/mm0192_06.html
2.    Cdn. Docs on Mission to Curb China’s Smoking Boom. Chao, Steve. CTVNews, 11 June 2005. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1118520905871_40/?hu...
3.    Ban smoking in China? A state-run industry has objections. Lawrence, Dune. International Herald Tribune, 14 March, 2007.  http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/14/business/tobacco.php
4.    Study find smoking wards off Parkinson’s disease. The Uniited Pro Choice Smokers Newsletter, 9 July, 2007. http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=164...

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