The Indoor Fog: Smoking in China
Sensitive to smoke? Make sure to do some research before you move abroad
Many years back, I worked in quality assurance for a publisher of academic journals. One of our projects was a public health journal that — not surprisingly — had a heavy focus on tobacco use. Something I noticed as I worked on the articles was just how many new smoking cessation programs are pilot tested in China. I always wondered why that was.
The answer is simple: Chinese people love to smoke. China is the world’s largest consumer of tobacco, and while this might not be surprising by itself — after all, China is the world’s largest consumer of products ranging from pork to beer to video games — the rate of use is quite remarkable. Though smoking rates have fallen in recent years, around a quarter of Chinese people are still smokers. But the numbers don’t capture how ingrained tobacco is to modern Chinese culture, from bars and internet cafes darkened by smoke to people offering cigarettes as gifts.
As with drinking culture, smoking culture can vary greatly from country to country. For those who are sensitive to smoke or ex-smokers trying to steer clear, understanding how a society views tobacco use can be very important. This is especially important for people from Anglophone countries, as they tend to have rates…
