Shanghai’s two major airports join smoking ban from the 30th; vaping devices also not recommended

Starting yesterday, Shanghai’s three major railway stations—including Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, and Shanghai South Railway Station—fully closed their indoor smoking rooms, marking an important step forward in the indoor smoking ban. During interviews, reporters found that despite the emphasis on “banning,” some heavy smokers still could not resist sneaking a smoke. However, railway and aviation authorities said that since they do not have law enforcement power to issue penalties, they can only strengthen patrols and persuasion efforts as much as possible, ultimately relying on the public to comply voluntarily. Starting at midnight on the 30th of this month, the terminals at Shanghai’s two major airports will also join the “smoke-free” campaign by implementing a “no smoking inside the building” policy.

Heavy smokers still puffing away

Yesterday morning, reporters visited the waiting hall at Shanghai Railway Station. The smoking area that had originally been located inside Waiting Room No. 8 was now firmly locked, with a large brass padlock hanging on the door. According to information released by the Shanghai Railway Bureau, in order to provide travelers with a clean, smoke-free travel environment, all indoor smoking rooms at Shanghai’s three major railway stations ceased operation starting at midnight yesterday, and no smoking-related equipment of any kind will be placed inside the stations.

It can be said that this is an important step in Shanghai’s indoor smoking ban. But can a written “smoking ban order” really make heavy smokers put down their cigarettes? During more than an hour of observation, reporters still saw quite a few people smoking in violation of the rules. In the indoor waiting hall at Shanghai Railway Station, several passengers were seen turning their backs to the crowd and facing closed windows while puffing away, watching videos on their phones as they smoked, completely ignoring the no-smoking signs posted nearby.

In the indoor waiting hall at Hongqiao Railway Station, reporters also found passengers smoking secretly. Several cigarette butts had just been discarded on top of two trash bins, even though the words “No Smoking” were prominently displayed on the wall.

The night before, when reporters arrived early at Hongqiao Railway Station for interviews, they also witnessed rule-breaking smokers. At 8 p.m. that evening, the smoking room on the south side of the second-floor waiting hall had already stopped operating. To block entry, railway staff had specially set up barricades. However, reporters found that two smokers secretly climbed over the barriers and entered the decommissioned smoking room to continue smoking.

In fact, to help ease smokers’ cravings, all three major railway stations have set up outdoor smoking areas. Reporters found that these smoking spots are not far from the former indoor smoking rooms—just a two- or three-minute walk, with the longest route taking no more than five minutes. But many passengers said that having to go through security checks again when re-entering the station was troublesome. As a result, they chose to smoke nearby in violation of the rules.