Today’s Episode
Why is it so hard to ban smoking in China? 🚬 In this episode, we look at a viral story from Shanghai and explore the culture, habits, and big business behind smoking. Find out why second-hand smoke remains such a challenge — and what the future might hold!
Today’s episode is sponsored by Maayot Chinese, a graded Chinese reading platform packed with many helpful features. Explore it and find out more!
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Ever reminded someone not to smoke and got a sharp “mind your own business”? 😅 In our next MaoMi Chinese+ episode, we will explore a popular Chinese phrase about meddling, why people react this way, and how to use it naturally—perfect follow-up to our second-hand smoke episode!
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大家好！欢迎回来MaoMi Chinese！
首先谢谢Maayot Chinese赞助今天的podcast！有时候，你是不是在想，在哪儿可以找到合适的中文阅读呢？Maayot Chinese就是一个很好的平台。你可以找到适合你的水平的中文阅读。欢迎去看看哦！
最近，在中国，有一个这样的新闻。有一个住在上海的外国人，他叫艾伦。他去一个饭店吃饭。饭店里有几个中国男人抽烟。在上海，人们是不可以在公共场所抽烟的。公共场所，就是公共的地方，很多人可以用的地方，比如，饭店，博物馆，医院，学校，等等。艾伦不喜欢抽二手烟，也就是不喜欢和抽烟的人在一起，所以他去告诉这几个男人，说这里禁止抽烟。但是呢，男人们不愿意，还骂他。艾伦拍了视频，发到了中国的社交媒体上。
他的视频很快就火了。很多人都觉得，他做得太好了，因为很多人都非常讨厌二手烟。也有很多人说，虽然他们也不喜欢二手烟，但是在中国禁烟太难了。这是为什么呢？
在中国，禁烟为什么这么难呢？
第一个原因是，中国抽烟的人特别多，有3.5亿人。中国是世界上抽烟的人最多的国家。很多人从年轻的时候就开始抽烟，到现在已经习惯了。所以，他们觉得，抽烟是很正常的事情。
第二个原因是，在中国，抽烟有时候是“社交”的一种方式。比如，有人见面的时候，会给对方一根烟。这是表示友好。如果你不要，有时候别人会觉得你不想和他做朋友。所以，抽烟不但是一个人的习惯，有时候也是一种社交。
第三个原因是，虽然法律说在公共场所不能抽烟，但是很多地方没有人去管。比如，在饭店里，老板可能不想客人走，所以客人抽烟也没关系。警察也不会一直来检查。所以，很多人觉得，就算法律说不能抽烟，也没有人真的会惩罚他们。
还有一个原因是，在中国卖烟的公司特别有钱，也很有影响力，也交很多税。他们不希望大家少抽烟，因为这样他们就赚不到钱了。
所以，虽然很多人讨厌二手烟，但是真的要“禁烟”，还是很难。可是，越来越多人在网上说，他们不喜欢二手烟，他们支持禁烟。以后中国可以禁烟吗？我们等一等吧！
那么，在你的国家，你们禁烟吗？你们是怎么禁烟的？你们国家禁烟，用了多长时间？欢迎给我们留言，和我们分享哦！
Hello everyone, and welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!
First of all, a big thank you to Maayot Chinese for sponsoring today’s podcast! Have you ever wondered where you can find suitable Chinese reading materials? Maayot Chinese is a great platform where you can discover readings that match your level. Do go and have a look!
Recently, there has been a news story in China. A foreigner living in Shanghai, called Alan, went to a restaurant for a meal. In the restaurant, there were several Chinese men smoking. Now in Shanghai, people are not allowed to smoke in public places. Public places are shared spaces, where many people may go, such as restaurants, museums, hospitals, schools, and so on. Alan doesn’t like second-hand smoke – that is, he doesn’t like being around people who are smoking – so he went over and told the men that smoking was forbidden there. But the men refused, and even swore at him. Alan filmed the whole incident and uploaded the video onto Chinese social media.
His video quickly went viral. Many people felt that what he did was excellent, because lots of people really dislike second-hand smoke. Others said that, although they too don’t like second-hand smoke, it is simply too difficult to ban smoking in China. But why is that?
So why is it so hard to ban smoking in China?
The first reason is that there are simply so many smokers. There are 350 million people who smoke in China, making it the country with the largest number of smokers in the world. Many people start smoking when they are young, and now it has become a habit. So, they think smoking is completely normal.
The second reason is that in China, smoking is sometimes a way of being social. For example, when people meet, one person may offer the other a cigarette as a gesture of friendliness. If you refuse, sometimes others may feel you don’t want to be friends with them. So smoking is not only a personal habit, but also, at times, a social custom.
The third reason is that, although the law says smoking is not allowed in public places, in reality many places are not monitored. For instance, in restaurants, the owner might not want to upset customers, so he will turn a blind eye if they smoke. The police will not be checking constantly either. As a result, many people feel that even if the law says smoking is forbidden, there will be no real punishment.
Another reason is that tobacco companies in China are extremely wealthy and influential, and they also contribute a great deal of tax revenue. They do not want people to smoke less, because then they would lose money.
So, although many people dislike second-hand smoke, a complete ban is still very difficult. However, more and more people are speaking out online, saying they don’t like second-hand smoke and that they support a smoking ban. Will China be able to implement a proper smoking ban in the future? Let’s wait and see!
What about in your country? Do you have a smoking ban? How was it put into place, and how long did it take? We’d love to hear from you. Please leave us a message and share your story!
On Italy isn’t ballowed on Manuela and many Places so open Spaces.