Where there's smoke there's Wu

BEIJING - Tobacco kills someone every six seconds in the world.

Yet smoking opponents trying to prevent those deaths are not regarded as frontline heroes saving lives, said Wu Yiqun, one of China's most aggressive anti-smoking activists.

"Soldiers win applause when they save people from earthquake debris, doctors receive thanks when they cure a patient with a prescription, but we are always rudely turned down when we try to stop someone smoking in a crowded restaurant," Wu said.