6 Months On, is Shanghai's Smoking Ban Actually Working?

By Dominic Ngai

It’s been six months since Shanghai’s smoking ban for all indoor public venues went into effect. When we spoke to many restaurant and bar owners at the beginning of the year, many were worried that the ban would have a negative impact on business. For some of them, however, the past six months weren’t all dark and gloomy. 

“You might be surprised at how many people like the ban,” says Michael Ohlsson of Dada

, a longtime favorite bar/club on the Shanghai nightlife circuit. “Even many smokers are happy the air inside is fresher, and even if they are not quitting, they are smoking less.”

Ohlsson and his team might be better equipped to deal with this situation than many others in Shanghai. Back in 2015, a similar citywide smoking ban went into effect in Beijing, andDada’s outpost up north was caught right in the middle of it. He admits, “A new smoking ban is hurtful to any bar’s business in the beginning – especially for a nightclub where a busy room and dance floor are key to keeping the vibes right. ”

For the local DJs and underground musicians who keep that vibe at Dada going, the new regulation poses an additional challenge. Ohlsson explains, “It can freak you out, as a DJ, when suddenly groups of people walk out. I have to remind them of [the smoking ban], so they don’t think they played the wrong song or whatever.”

Signs promote Beijing's city-wide smoking ban outside the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) in 2015

Reflecting on the differences between the execution of the smoking bans in Beijing and Shanghai, he says, “[The ban in] Beijing was a real struggle to enforce because it was first, and most bars suffered quite a lot financially. Shanghai came later, so people were like, ‘Oh okay, now us.’” 

Across town in Jing’an, when Logan’s Punch first opened in Zhang Yuan three years ago, punch bowls full of cigarettes were offered to customers for free at the bar counter. These, however, disappeared as soon as the smoking ban began on March 1. For the most part, proprietor Logan Brouse says customers have been very cooperative, and once they realized they had to go outside to smoke, they would obey the rules.

“You might be surprised at how many people like the ban."

“Even though I’m a smoker, I actually never really enjoyed going to bars and restaurants that allowed indoor smoking. I usually prefer to smoke outside, especially if I’m dining with people who don’t smoke,” says Chen, a young Shanghainese woman who thinks the ban is good for everyone. 

Her colleague, Wang, a 37-year-old who’s been smoking for more than 20 years, admits that before the ban, dining out with his group of friends usually meant booking a private room and everyone would smoke throughout the entire meal. 

“Since the ban went into effect, I actually smoked less because you can’t do that anymore,” he says. “Places like Hong Kong and Singapore have all banned smoking indoors for years. To be honest, I think Shanghai should’ve done it much earlier.”

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