An actress’s social media posts of a confrontation with a smoker in a restaurant has once again ignited debate about lax enforcement of public smoking rules.
On December 26, 2024, Xu Jiao, known for her debut in Stephen Chow’s sci-ff comedy CJ7 (2008), shared two videos on Sina Weibo showing her confront a man in a restaurant in Changsha, Hunan Province over his smoking. The 27-yearold actress requested that the man stop, but he rudely refused, claiming there were no signs prohibiting smoking. As Xu attempted to record video evidence, the man violently snatched her phone and threw his cigarette butt into her dish.
Many netizens criticized the man’s lack of social awareness, arguing that smoking indoors disturbs others and poses health risks through secondhand smoke.
Others pointed out that carelessly discarded cigarette butts can lead to fires. Some netizens, however, argued that smoking should be permissible in public places without posted no-smoking signs.
China lacks a national law on smoking in public. While most provinces and districts have issued smoke-free policies, many fail to clearly define “public places.” Whether this applies to restaurants is left up to the province. For example, in Hunan Province, smoking in restaurants is not illegal. Experts emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive national smoke-free legislation.
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