There's no smoke without fire

When I first came to China, I thought the country was on fire - literally. Everywhere I went, there seemed to be a pall of smoke hanging over things, filling rooms, and almost condensing out of the walls in restaurants.

Coming from Australia, where smokers huddle together into small, outdoor ghettos, I was surprised at just how many people smoked. There seems to be nowhere that Chinese smokers won't have a crafty cigarette.

Recently, I jumped into a cab to find the driver was smoking. When I pointed to the big "No Smoking" sign on the dashboard, he just shook his head and proffered the packet of cigarettes to me.