Women in China Confront Men Smoking in Public

Women in several Chinese cities are confronting men who smoke in public areas and sometimes record the encounters. Hilda Wang, a resident of Shenzhen, scolds smokers and posts videos of the interactions online. She said she is a natural introvert but becomes upset enough about smoking to change her behavior during these encounters.

In one video that circulated widely, Wang lectured a man holding a cigarette. The man said she had no right to record him. She called him an embarrassment, and he walked away.

Organization data show that about 45 percent of males and 2 percent of females above age 15 in China smoke tobacco. Smoking habits in the country tend to follow a gender divide, with far higher rates among men. Shenzhen, a city of nearly 20 million people north of Hong Kong, has seen multiple women approach men smoking in public.

Some of these confrontations appear on social media. Luno Wang, a friend of Hilda Wang, also scolds men she sees smoking. She described some male smokers as lower in IQ and less civilized, saying they do not respect others.

In a clip that spread on social media this spring, a woman confronted a man at a bus stop in Shenzhen. When he refused to extinguish his cigarette, she poured juice on it. He threw the empty cup at her, and both were arrested. The woman posted on Weibo that she was strip-searched by police.

Her posts were later removed. China Daily reported that a female officer conducted a safety check in line with regulations and that the man was fined for violating local no-smoking rules at bus stops.

Tia-shan, a restaurant kitchen worker in Shenzhen who has smoked since serving as a pilot in the army 40 years ago, said he loves smoking. He noted he has a cough but otherwise feels fine. Tan said men traditionally smoked because they were in charge.

He added that he does not mind the anti-smoking activists and believes the women confronting smokers on social media are doing a good thing. Other men interviewed in Shenzhen said they would not mind receiving a lecture if it helped them quit.