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Fran Lu

A foreigner living in Shanghai has been hailed by Chinese online observers as a “real superhero” after he tried to stop a Chinese man smoking in a restaurant and ended up being attacked.
The man, who is believed to be British and goes by the name @alibabameAilun, posted his encounter on July 29 on a short video platform, where he has 87,000 followers.
He spotted a Chinese man smoking at a restaurant in Shanghai and went to stop him.
A smoking ban in indoor public places has been in place in the city since 2017.

There was also a “no smoking” sign on the restaurant wall.
The foreigner approached the smoker while filming him with his phone and asked him to “go out and smoke” in English.
He kept telling the smoker and his friend: “This is against the law.”
The infuriated smoker yelled at him and demanded that he turn off the camera, hurting his hand while trying to grab the influencer’s phone.
The smoker also shouted “This is China” in English, suggesting the matter was no business of the foreigner.
The video has attracted 200,000 likes and 22,000 comments, with many Chinese people flocking to his account to show support.

“As a Chinese person, I support you,” one person said.
“You are a real superhero. Those disgusting smokers in China have no idea how much harm they are doing to non-smokers. We need more brave people like you to stand up and fight for our rights and our health,” said another.
“I feel so awkward seeing the man shouting ‘This is China’,” said a third.
Some people also went to the restaurant’s page on the eatery review service platform Dazhong Dianping and changed the names of its popular dishes to “second-hand smoked lamb chops” and “rice mixed with nicotine”.
The police only said the influencer’s name was Malik, but he is believed to be British.
Malik reported his conflict with the smoker to the police.

Shanghai police issued a report on August 2 and suggested that both parties were responsible.
People who smoke in public indoor spaces can face a fine of up to 200 yuan (US$28). The fine for places that let people smoke can be as much as 30,000 yuan (US$4,200).
Malik has filmed people breaking the smoking ban and telling them to stop in several places in Shanghai.
Some suspect it may have been a publicity stunt, an accusation to which at least one person said: “I welcome those who fight smokers to become influencers.”


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The influencer filmed the Chinese diner holding a lit cigarette in his right hand. Photo: Douyin

The foreigner, who is believed to be British,  points to a clearly positioned no-smoking sign on the wall of the restaurant. Photo: Douyin

A smoking ban in indoor public places has been in place in Shanghai since 2017. Photo: Getty Images

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Police called as foreign man touting phone camera accosts angry cigarette puffing Chinese diner who lit up in non-smoking restaurant


Police called as foreign man touting phone camera accosts angry cigarette puffing Chinese diner who lit up in non-smoking restaurant.


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Smoking and vaping

China-based foreign influencer goes viral by confronting people smoking indoors

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Police called as foreign man touting phone camera accosts angry cigarette puffing Chinese diner who lit up in non-smoking restaurant

Police called as foreign man touting phone camera accosts angry cigarette puffing Chinese diner who lit up in non-smoking restaurant