Up in smoke

I have the sudden urge to write a blog entry on smoking in China, as within the last hour every person around me at work has taken two smoking breaks, and each time they all come back absolutely reeking. While in general I do not like to impose my beliefs on others, even when it comes to smoking, but I can't help but comment on the disadvantages and the negative impact it has had on my life here in Beijing.

Most men smoke in China. I would say that perhaps 80% of the male population here smokes, and 70% of them are chain smokers. On top of the pollution that already fills my nostrils and my lungs daily with unwelcomed odors and chemicals, I also have to endure the smoking habits of my co-workers and friends, which as sometimes gets nearly unbarrable.

Smoking in China is not just a passtime or a habit, but a social activity that if you disagree means others disregard you at best, and you can think of the various implications at worst. It is polite to offer people cigarettes, and it is impolite to decline any offer from someone else, thus it is impolite to say no. There is a huge social pressure to smoke, and actually similarly to drink. This means that when my boss offers me a cigarette and I say no, he feels disrespected. Building relationships with those around me becomes just that much harder.

Beside the relationship impact, there is time impact. People at work spend a mass amount of time smoking, buying cigarettes and offering cigarette gifts.

But perhaps this is just my jealousy, not of there smoking habit, but the benefits that it affords them. There is no non-smoking area, and no designated break area at work. If I don't smoke, I don't get a break (well, unless I drink coffee and don't mind a small smoke filled room for my break). I work 10 hours a day and am only afforded a break at lunch, which I extend to about 1.5 hours, but others at work, because they smoke, get up to 3 hours of break during the day.

Smoking affects my exercise and when I can go to the bathroom. The 2 spots that people gather and smoke the most are the stairwell and the bathroom. I don't walk up the stairs everyday at work because the stairwell is so smoke filled that it would hurt my health and I would smell like smoke for the rest of the day. I often have to wait 20 minutes for the bathroom because it is infested by the little fire-paper tokers.

Smoking affects where I walk. As there are always people smoking while walking, I have to consciously avoid them so I don't get a nice deep breath of smoke instead of fresh air on my walk to work or whever I happen to be.

People smoke in meetings, at lunch, at dinner, in bars and clubs. People are smoking everywhere and it is getting old.

Luckily the government has noticed the problem and is looking to try to fix it, but I think this problem will continue many years down the road. The question is how much longer can my lungs take this adventure of mine, and would I be better off elsewhere. Health is important, and smoke + pollution filled lungs does not sound healthy to me.