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"Love China," says a message on the screen. "Increase patriotism even more. Love a smoke-free Olympics."
That public-service advertisement was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, targeting TV viewers in China during the Olympics. It's part of a new initiative to cut tobacco use in the country that's home to 350 million smokers and more than a third of the world's cigarette production. . . .
In Beijing, a new government directive went into effect May 1 that bans smoking in most indoor areas, such as schools, hospitals, movie theaters and gyms, as well as on public transportation. The directive was intended to ensure a "smoke-free Olympics" but will remain in effect after the Games are over. . . .
China doesn't have a national law banning smoking in public places, but more than 150 local governments have instituted smoking bans. Many local bans passed in the 1990s are now being revised and strengthened.
How well the new policy is working in Beijing depends on where you go.
Corinne Leuenberger, a Swiss translator, stopped for a smoking break in a designated area near the Olympic Green. She said she hasn't seen much of a smoke-free Olympics at all, and no change in the amount of smoking in Beijing's popular bars and restaurants. . . .
National law bans cigarette sales to minors, but enforcement is weak and there's no stated penalty for violations. Cigarettes are sold almost everywhere. Smoking is so much a part of dining culture in China that cigarettes are frequently on restaurant menus. . . .
More than 32 percent of young people between the ages of 13 and 18 in China have tried smoking, and 11 percent are currently smokers, according to the 2008 China Tobacco Control Report.
The report blames exposure to tobacco advertising and images of smoking in movies and TV programs, as well as easy access to tobacco products, for drawing in young people.
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2008: our heroic year. You can also become our hero. To protect our loved ones, please smoke outside.TV ad in China, from the Gates Foundation.
The Atlanta-based American Cancer Society has its own Olympics quest.
Dr. Otis Webb Brawley, the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, was in China this past weekend to launch an effort with more than 70 multi-national and Chinese companies to develop smoke-free worksites.
The launch coincided with the Beijing's hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The society and consortium of Chinese partners are unveiling a new "toolkit" to help companies implement 100-percent smoke-free workplaces. More than 70 companies already have committed to become smoke-free at their Beijing facilities, and many also plan to implement those policies nationwide.
It's been declared a "smoke free Olympics" -- but tell that to the furtive puffers dragging on their cigarettes around Olympic venues.
In China there are over 350 million smokers, with one of every three cigarettes smoked in the world lit up in China, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
So it was a major task to get the world's heaviest smokers to stub out for the August 8-24 Games -- as well as the 500,000 overseas tourists in Beijing -- despite Chinese officials banning smoking in Olympic arenas.
"You do have to be a bit discreet," said a tourist from New Zealand, hiding his lit cigarette under a bench about a stone's throw from the Bird's Nest stadium.
"At the opening ceremony they cordoned off an area at the back of the stadium for smokers. It did last nearly five hours!"
Athletes too can be spotted smoking around venues.
"I'd say 70 out of 100 athletes in the Olympic village smoke," said Italian weightlifter Giorgio de Luca, perhaps exaggerating a little, as he wound down with a cigarette.
AN anti-smoking advocate will donate his 10 Olympic tickets to any smoker who promises to butt out, a Beijing newspaper reported today.
Xiong Wei hopes his gesture will raise awareness about the harmful effects of smoking.
The tickets he plans to give away include soccer and basketball events on August Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Anyone who wants the tickets can e-mail Xiong with detailed personal information
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While many Olympians meditate or listen to music to calm their pre-competition nerves, several weightlifters training in Beijing Tuesday tried to lighten up by lighting up.
"I'd say 70 out of a 100 athletes in the Olympic village smoke," said Italian weightlifter Giorgio de Luca, perhaps exaggerating a little.
The lifter, looking happy and relaxed in shorts and green flip-flops, was winding down after a gym session with a coffee and a cigarette. He cheerfully ignored the mildly disapproving glances from his coach.
Smoking is banned in most parts of the Olympic Village, but there are designated smoking areas and some athletes even sneak out on to the balcony for a quick puff, de Luca said.
CIGARETTE brands in China used to be endorsed by athletes, including by the heroic Olympic and world champion hurdler Liu Xiang, who carries the same weight of expectation at the Beijing Olympics as Cathy Freeman did in Sydney in 2000.
So not surprisingly, China is a world champion at smoking, with cigarettes as cheap as 30c for a pack of 20.
About 57 per cent of Chinese men smoke regularly. Last year China smoked about 2.1trillion cigarettes.
But that world supremacy is going to be challenged at the Beijing Olympics, which start on August 8. These Games will not be as green or as human-rights promoting as they set out to be. But they are going to deal China's powerful tobacco industry a serious setback and provide another nail in the coffin of big tobacco . . .
When health professionals urge higher taxes, Yang says the tobacco industry responded by presenting findings from so-called experts that an increased price would lead to increased sales, on the grounds that smoking would be reinforced as a more valuable pastime.
Xu Guihua, another formidable anti-smoking campaigner, is secretary general of the China Tobacco Control Association, a non-government organisation that receives much of its income from conducting campaigns on behalf of the Health Ministry. She operates from an office with an energetic team of volunteers. . . .
"The fight against tobacco is just getting going in China," Xu says. And she's counting on the Olympic spirit to play its part.
Liu Xiang is being a good sport. He said recently he regrets being part of the cigarette industry. But whether his many millions of fans follow his lead remains to be seen.
Beijing's battle to ban smoking in most public areas began in earnest Thursday as part of the government's commitment to hold a smoke-free Olympics.
The measures, which took effect May 1, completely ban smoking in schools, hospitals and government offices, as well as at all Olympic venues including indoor and outdoor stadiums. Hotels, restaurants and bars face a partial ban, with smoking and no-smoking areas required. . . .
"I'm completely addicted to smoking and I cannot quit. With all the millions of Chinese who smoke, this law doesn't seem to be fair," he said as he lit up a cigarette on a Beijing street corner.
BEIJING - It's called the "Patriotic Health Campaign Committee." This is the Beijing municipal body charged with enforcing the city's beefed up no-smoking rules, and it's sure to be popular with the 500,000 foreigners expected to visit the Beijing Olympics.
It'll be a different story for Beijing's 5 million smokers.
New smoking restrictions begin May 1, part of a commitment officials made for a smoke-free Olympics. That date will also send officials scrambling, trying to figure out how to enforce new rules in a city famous for incorrigible smokers _ and a country with 350 million of them _ who flagrantly ignore no-smoking bans in public places.
More than 100,000 Beijingers would be appointed to check the enforcement of a smoking ban at public facilities, which would take effect on May 1 in the Olympic host city of Beijing, a health official said.
More than 1,000 people have been trained on the enforcement of the ban, while another 100,000 people would be appointed as inspectors by all the city's enterprises and institutions, XINHUA quoted Deng Xiaohong, spokeswoman of the Beijing Health Bureau, as saying.
It's called the "Patriotic Health Campaign Committee." This is the Beijing municipal body charged with enforcing the city's beefed up no-smoking rules, and it's sure to be popular with the 500,000 foreigners expected to visit the Beijing Olympics.
New smoking restrictions begin May 1, part of a commitment officials made for a smoke-free Olympics. That date will also send officials scrambling, trying to figure out how to enforce new rules in a city famous for incorrigible smokers -- and a country with 350 million of them -- who flagrantly ignore no-smoking bans in public places.
Beijing's government will introduce no-smoking areas in parks, restaurants and bars before the Olympics as part of a drive to bring the capital more in line with other international cities.
Hotel operators must have separate non-smoking floors and rooms for travelers under regulations starting May 1, Li Lingyan, deputy head of Beijing's legal affairs office, told reporters today.
If you ask for a non-smoking table at the Cheerful Fish Town restaurant, you'll be led to a tiny room upstairs at the back. . . .
The anti-smoking movement, which has swept across most of the world in recent years, has finally collided with its toughest challenge of all: China. The world's most populous country is also the world's biggest producer of cigarettes, the world's biggest market for cigarettes and the world's biggest paradise for smokers.
China is home to about 350 million smokers -- a third of all smokers on the planet -- and they puff almost two trillion cigarettes annually. About two-thirds of all Chinese men are regular smokers and they enjoy low prices, as little as eight cents a pack, from China's state-owned tobacco companies.
Recent studies estimate that 540 million Chinese are harmed by second-hand smoke and more than one million Chinese people die annually from smoking-related illnesses. Yet cigarettes in China remain among the cheapest in the world. Many people are unaware of the health risks and the anti-smoking movement is still struggling for recognition.
The Chinese capital will ban smoking in most public places starting from May 1 -- a big step toward tobacco control in a nation of 350 million smokers.
The move will also meet China's pledge of a smoke-free Olympics.
More than 150 Chinese cities already have limited restrictions in place, but the capital will be the first to ban smoking in all restaurants, offices and schools, English-language China Daily reported Monday. . . .
The new rules, which were announced on Saturday, expand the scope to include restaurants, bars, Internet cafes, hotels, offices, holiday resorts and all indoor areas of medical facilities.
Hotels must also have rooms for non-smokers, but the ratio is still being discussed, said Cui Xiaobo, a renowned tobacco control expert who helped draft the new rule.
Beijing will ban smoking in most public places starting from May 1 - a big step toward tobacco control in a nation of 350 million smokers.
More than 150 Chinese cities already have limited restrictions in place, but the capital will be the first to ban smoking in all restaurants, offices and schools.
Cui Dalin, China's deputy sports minister, told legislators that the Beijing Olympics would inspire Chinese to live healthier lives.
Then he stepped out into a nonsmoking hallway — and lit a cigarette.
The recent incident illustrates the uphill battle China faces as it prepares to take what health advocates hope will be a big step against smoking in what is the world's biggest tobacco market. A ban on smoking in most Beijing public places, similar to efforts in major North American, European and Asian cities, is expected to take effect in May, aimed at meeting China's pledge of a smoke-free Olympics. . . .
"There's no way it will work!" said Jin Xianchun, a co-owner of Little Jin's Seafood Restaurant, where diners were smoking up a storm as they chose live fish and shrimp from tanks. "Of course it will affect my business ... We will try our best to enforce, it but really...." She shook her head.
Cigarettes are woven into Chinese daily life. . . .
Almost 2 trillion cigarettes are sold every year, at prices as low as 1.50 yuan ($0.20) for a pack of 20, complete with a discreet warning on the side of the box that says "Smoking is harmful to your health." The government estimates 1 million Chinese die smoking-related deaths annually — projected to double by 2020.