Attractive smoking spaces by Chinese start-up Yanker spark outcry from health campaigners
- Start-up that specialises in providing an attractive environment for smokers may have broken the law with latest facility
- China has the highest number of smokers in the world but the authorities are trying to reduce that with public health initiatives
A company that set up a shared smoking space in one of Beijing’s busiest shopping streets has triggered a debate about public health as campaigners warned the new facility may be against the law.
Yanker, which means smoker in Chinese, is a start-up that has already opened 12 smoking rooms in major cities and airports with air filtering systems to provide a comfortable environment for smokers.
But the latest venture, a 78-square-metre open-air smoking area in the middle of Wangfujing Street, the busiest commercial street in Beijing, has proved the most controversial.
Public health officials have warned that the 18-seat facility, complete with stainless steel ashtrays and decorated with plants, may have breached the capital’s tobacco control laws and have asked the relevant authorities to investigate.
The Beijing Tobacco Control Association said it did not comply with the requirement that smoking hubs have to display signs warning of the health risks from smoking and should be located away from busy areas.
Cui Xiaobo, the vice secretary of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association said he had already filed complaints to the relevant departments, although the facility remains open for now.