Smoking Now Banned In China’s Capital, Beijing

China has over 300 million smokers, and more than a million
Chinese die from smoking-related issues every year.
Its not the first time that the chinese government banned public
smoking in China, but have largely failed to crack down on the
habit.
Ministry of Health guidelines published in 2011 banned smoking in
all public spaces nationwide such as hotels and restaurants. The
rules were vague, however, and often flouted by Chinese smokers
who are accustomed to lighting up at will.
BBC analyst Martin Patience reported that the country consumes a
third of the world’s cigarettes, and more than half of men smoke.
It’s seen by many as a masculine trait – women, in contrast, rarely
smoke.
This is so common that It has become a way of greeting, and serves
as a gift exchanged among men.
The new ban rules were agreed by lawmakers in November 2014
but only came into effect on 1 June.
The legislation lawbreakers in Beijing will be fined 200 yuan (£21;
$32) and businesses that turn a blind eye could be fined up to
10,000 yuan failure to adhere to the rules.