Many smokers in Beijing see the bans set to come into effect in June as a motivation to quit. (Photo: GT/Li Hao)
Beijing's smokers turn to novel methods to kick the habit before citywide ban comes into effect
New regulations in Beijing banning smoking in all indoor public spaces, including offices, restaurants and public transport, are set to come into effect on June 1, as part of what has been called the government's toughest anti-smoking campaign yet.
Individuals found violating the rules will be fined 200 yuan ($32) for a single infraction, and businesses found in defiance of the legislation can be fined up to 10,000 yuan. To help enforce the new regulations, a hotline (12320) has been set up to encourage members of the public to report violations.
A 2013 CCTV report estimated that there are 350 million smokers in the country, and according to National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, smoking is responsible for more than 1 million deaths in the country each year.
Some view the ban as an opportunity to kick their habit for good. "Our manager has warned us not to smoke after June 1," said Song Susheng, a 27-year-old fitness instructor in Beijing. "He said our gym will issue much stricter rules and punishments than the new regulations."
Mobile apps
To assist him in his effort to quit smoking, Song has downloaded a smartphone app called Jieyan Juntuan ("Quit Smoking Brigade").
People trying to quit are encouraged to record on the app each time they smoke a cigarette, as well as each time they feel the urge to smoke, but manage to resist.
These individual statistics are uploaded to the online community, where users are ranked into 13 military-themed levels: "Infantry" for those who manage to refrain from smoking for one day, "Supreme Commander" for those who do not smoke for 106 to 135 days, and "Success" for those who cease smoking for more than 136 days. Those who start smoking again are given the ranking of "Deserter," and must work their way up from the bottom.
In an interview with the China Youth Daily in January, Lu Dianqing, creator of the app, said the logic behind the app was based on the mutual aid principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, an international program founded in the US in 1935 to help alcoholics stay sober. The app also has an online forum, where users can support each other in their attempts to quit.
According to Lu, the app has been downloaded more than 3 million times and has more than 1 million active users.
Since April 2012, it has helped more than 10,000 people quit smoking for over 100 days, according to the app's statistics, and 8,621 people have reached the rank of "Success."
Other mobile apps include Kick It, which calculates how much money one saves and how much time one gains in expected lifespan for each day the user does not smoke, and Crush Out My Cigarette, an app with a whack-a-mole style game designed to divert the user's attention whenever he or she has a craving. The game lasts 4 minutes, which is said to be the average time it takes to smoke a cigarette.
