Let's stop offering and accepting cigarettes

Eat, drink and be merry. That's what Spring Festival is all about. But there are millions of people, too, who love to let happiness go up in smoke, literally.

Offering cigarettes to guests is a traditional Chinese way of showing respect to them. A cup of tea and cigarettes are perhaps the most common way of welcoming a guest in China, especially during festive occasions such as the Lunar New Year.

No wonder, 40 percent of the people surveyed recently said they would smoke at least twice the usual number of cigarettes during the Spring Festival holiday because of all those family and friend gatherings and banquets.