Daily Blog
Tuesday, 18 August 2009 12:08
Written by Urbanatomy

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So it's happening. It's official. Well, kind of. Shanghai is embracing the 21st century and banning smoking in public places. But you'll have to wait until 2011.

So this goes both ways with us lot in Shanghai. Either:

1. Bugger. I smoke, so why the hell do I have to smoke outside?

2. Awesome. I didn't smoke before I got to Shanghai, but those Zhongnanhais are so goddamn cheap I'm now a chimney. This will make me stop.

3. Get in. I don't go home stinking of smoke at the end of a night.

4. Shite. Smoking's the only reason why I'm here.I'm off.

5. Why do we have a kitchen in our office then? Isn't that just a smoking room?

This was announced on Monday in a new draft law that will impose fines on establishments that fail to obey the restrictions. Under the proposal, smoking will be strictly banned in schools, hospitals, stadiums, libraries, theaters and museums.

According to the China Daily, "Airports and train stations must set up ventilated smoking rooms."

Thank god for that. The word "ventilated" is just what the doctor ordered. But surely we'll miss those small 5m x 5m smoke boxes where your eyes slowly turn yellow and your lungs shrivel in the 2 minutes your in there beofre your 3:35 flight to Guangzhou.Hotels and other entertainment centers like cinemas and KTVs must ban smoking indoors or provide a separate smoking area.

But what has been holding back these laws are the restaurant habits in China. It's kind of part of dining culture in Shanghai: you eat, you smoke, you eat, you smoke, you drink beer, you smoke, you eat, you smoke, you nail baijiu, you smoke, you set yourself on fire, you wake up in a gutter, a police man offers you a smoke... And it goes on and on.

So restaurants are encouraged to ban smoking or set up smoking areas, but there are no specific requirements announced on restaurants or bars.

Places that fail to ban smoking can be penalized up to RMB 30,000 and if you light up a cheeky smoke in a public area then expect a slap on the wrists and a RMB 200 fine.

The last year has seen Taiwan ban smoking in public places, India set up a bunch of smoking bans and Hong Kong has had restrictions in place for the past couple of years. It was only a matter of time.

But you may not have to wait until 2011 for the ban as it is expected to be rushed through for something called the Expo. Then cigarette prices will no doubt rise and the icebergs will melt. Stock up on those Zhongnanhais NOW!

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