After 100 days, Chinese capital struggles to kick its smoking habit

Shao Ning, a property agency executive and compulsive smoker, has felt the pinch over the past 100 days since Beijing started its toughest smoking ban.

"I used to meet people in coffee shops and smoke while we had meetings. Now I can't. Even the airport removed all smoking areas. It's all very inconvenient," said Shao, a chain smoker.

But Shao said he could still light up in small restaurants and hardly anyone complains. He gave up smoking in his office after a security guard in the building asked him to smoke outside, but recently saw some people had started smoking in corridors and were ignored.

The capital rolled out the ban on June 1, forbidding smoking in restaurants, offices, on public transport and in any public place with a ceiling. Lighting up in open areas near schools and hospitals is also banned.

While the tough tobacco control campaign boasts a high level of public awareness, enforcement, especially in offices and restaurants, remains an issue.

In the past three months, officials have received almost 8,000 complaints about indoor smoking violations in the city, of which 70 per cent concerned smoking in office buildings, restaurants and entertainment venues.