China has a Smoking Problem. Seriously.

China has a smoking problem. More and more people are starting to realize this but for me, I feel like this issue should’ve been resolved years ago.

This Summer, my mom and I went to Changsha together for a few days. We live in Guangdong, which is not far from Changsha, so we decided to go by train. I haven’t been to the train station in a while and when I tell you the biggest difference is actually not that we don’t have printed tickets anymore, it is the smoking issue on the platform as people get on and off the train or waiting for the train to arrive. For me, as someone who is hypersensitive to second-hand smoke (like anyone else who doesn’t smoke), walking from the escalator to the compartment is torture because every single square millimeter of the platform is filled to the brim with second-hand smoke. The smell is so strong that I literally just wanted to faint in front of the people working there to let them stop the people from smoking. There was a lot of people, so it wasn’t possible to walk too fast. This made it even worse, as for me, I could just take a deep breath and run as fast as I can, but with so many people in front of me, it is impossible to walk through the crowd without taking at least two or three breaths. Only people who have experienced this know how suffocating this is.

Not only do so many people smoke on the platform, they even leave their cigarette butts in the station. When I went down the escalator into the Changsha station, I saw cigarette butts just left on the ground. Like? You know? This is getting out of control. Not only is this a very big issue in train stations, airports have this problem too—if you stand in the area where people wait for taxis or just outside the airport entrance, the smell is even worse. I cannot even imagine how little empathy and respect those people who smoke in these areas have for other people and for the environment—like they don’t even care about the public space and the health of people around them (not that they even care about their own health). Because of all of those traumatic experiences I have had, I even bought those special N95 masks that is coated with a layer of activated carbon so the next time I am in a crowded public space, I don’t have to worry about getting lung cancer.

I live in a smoke-free household, because my dad is allergic to smoking. Yes, you heard that right, so because he doesn’t smoke, the household is free from any bad smell. This might also be the reason why I am so sensitive to smoke—because I don’t smell it that much. However, even though the house never smells like second-hand smoke, that doesn’t mean I don’t smell second-hand smoke at home completely, because we live in an apartment with a balcony, if someone above or below us smokes, the smell will travel onto our balcony and that is the most unpleasant thing ever. Obviously, you can’t blame people for that, as that is also their personal space and private territory, so all I can do is to hold my breath and quickly get inside. In big cities like Beijing, a lot of people smoke, so, when I am on the streets, it is very hard to not breathe in any second-hand smoke, especially for near-sighted people like me. My strategy is to look into the distance to see who is holding a cigarette in their hands and if I see one, I will know when to hold my breath and run past them. However, because of my near-sightedness, I sometimes either make a false judgement, or I breathe in the smoke and suffer. I am always so on-guard to the point that when I see someone just having their hands close to their lips or mouth, I would immediately think that they are smoking and hold my breath, but only then to realize that they are not.

Online, more and more people are saying that they think that the second-hand smoke now in 2026 smells worse than it does a few years back. I can’t agree more, as a few years back, I wasn’t even this sensitive to the smell, but now, I am hypersensitive. This realization has been the center of attention lately, and people who relate to this on the Internet are saying things like “把烟头吃了的人最帅了” (people who eat the cigarette butt after smoking are the most attractive) and “把烟头按在脸上灭的人最帅了”  (people who put out their cigarette by pressing it against their face are the most attractive). I won’t go that far with my comments because the most effective way of putting an end to smoking isn’t through attacking the people who smoke (although I do think that is an effective first step—guilt), but through the change of policies. Therefore, more and more cities are banning smoking public areas like Shenzhen. I love that. I want the whole country to do that, and for the best, the entire world. There has also been more and more incidents of lung cancer due to breathing in second-hand smoke in families and it is solely because the husband cannot quit smoking. I am not saying that smoking is only a male issue because it is definitely not, but I am just saying that we already see so many incidents of this causing so much harm, so why can’t we just put an end to it?

People who smoke argue that “our purchase of tobacco is what supports the funding of building spaceships and aircraft carriers”. The data shows that China's tobacco industry contributed about ¥1.5 trillion to government finances in 2024, equivalent to roughly 7% of national general public-budget revenue. But this money isn't specifically earmarked for military or space programs, so hey, without you, the country would be doing just fine.

Smoking is not only a personal choice, it has become a full on culture in China. In family and business gatherings, this is what bonds people and builds relationships and business collaboration. This toxic culture is just like the drinking culture here: if one company’s representative refuses to drink to smoke with the ones of the other side, the collab will not be possible. That is the reality with a lot of businesses and collaborations happening. Not only is this an issue with middle-aged people, teens in China (and to my knowledge, some in interational schools here), are smoking too, mainly e-cigarettes. I am just going to leave it like that, as that is all I can say about this.

Personally, I want smoking and tobacco trade to be illegal. Or, if a complete ban is impossible, we should at least ban it in public areas, especially in crowded spaces like airports and train stations. We should also at least ban e-cigarettes, I think they have already done it in Hong Kong, as quality control for vapes is much harder to achieve, and many people hide drugs inside.

That is really all I have to say about this situation, and let me know what you think in the comments!