China calls for less smoking on TV shows

[shain from kane]

The Associated Press
http://www.bnd.com/living/health/story/145510.html

BEIJING --China's government urged television and film producers to avoid "unnecessary and lengthy" smoking scenes, following public complaints about rampant cigarette smoking in a popular miniseries, a state-run newspaper said Friday.

"New Shanghai Bund" is a remake of a 1980s Hong Kong drama about 1930s gangsters that turned leading man Chow Yun-fat into a star. The actor who now plays Chow's character has been criticized as an addict because of his constant smoking.
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Makers of "New Shanghai Bund" had already edited out some scenes of stylish, chain-smoking gangsters after complaints it could encourage young people to light up, state media reported in July.

An estimated 350 million Chinese are smokers, accounting for more than one-quarter of the world's total. Tobacco-related diseases kill about 1 million people in China every year, and publicity campaigns about the health dangers have begun to turn public attitudes against the habit.
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If you think USA has problems with smoking, check out China. I wonder how much of the problem was created by USA tobacco companies exporting this scourge to China.