Smoking

[Ian_Lee]

Smoking is so rampant in Mainland China that I have seen even rural kids as young as 9 or 10 smoke cigarettes.

Somehow I doubt what is the difference between the cigarettes smoking and the opium smoking which had plagued China for so long.

Moreover, the local brands are so strong that I suspect their Nicotine level must be higher than the American counterparts.

Interestingly I find that Japanese young girls are as addicted to cigarettes as the guys in Mainland do. In the recess time on campus, groups of Japanese female students gather to smoke.

I also think that smoking is probably the cause of spitting. Since chain smoking can lead to respiratory problem like mucus and phlegm in the throat, smoker may have a tendency to spit them out.

[skylee]

I think young people in China smoke because it is the cheapest "enjoyment" they can get. In more developed countries, however, young people smoke because they think it is cool and it shows that they are no longer children.

Personally I think smoking is very out-dated. Don't people consider it cooler to embrace a healthier lifestyle?

[Tsunku]

There's a macho culture thing at play with Chinese men and smoking. I know many many guys who "don't smoke," that is, unless pressured to do so by their peers in a social setting. When Chinese guys gather, its customary to pass around cigarettes. Not taking a cigarette from someone might cause him to lose face, and moreover, if you don't take a cigarette you look like a wuss. Chinese guys are extremely succeptible to peer pressure -- not just kids and teenagers, but grown adults who are perfectly capable of saying no. The same thing happens with drinking. Ever been to a banquet with officials and tried to turn down the baijiu? Its even hard for me, and I'm a woman.

I find the peer pressure thing one of the more troublesome and disturbing aspects of Chinese culture to tell the truth.

[cathaykid]

we did a underground research at school some time ago...

don't have the exact results now but i remember most of the girls at my school who smoke just smoke to look cool.they don't buy the cheap cigarettes nor do they smoke for enjoyment,actually the money they spend on light cigarettes is probably more than that spent on books

a well dressed lady smoking might look special,but a smoking guy is definitely a last-century thing...