Smoke signals

In a nation where cigarettes are king, pipes are attracting a growing market of affluent tobacco lovers who seek a more stylish - and healthier - lifestyle, Deng Zhangyu reports.

Chen Xiaodong sits on a leather chair at a pipe store in Beijing with a handmade Italian tobacco pipe in his mouth. His friend, a beginner, is enjoying his first pipe smoke under the salesman's guidance, with a special tobacco blend made by Chen, who savors every chance to introduce friends to the "little toy" from the West.

The 28-year-old has bought more than 100 tobacco pipes. He uses all of them.