This Day, That Year

Item from April 6, 1988, in China Daily: One of China's millions of smokers remains oblivious of an anti-smoking billboard in Beijing. The characters read, "If my father doesn't quit smoking, it will be difficult for me to be born."

China launches a nationwide publicity campaign on the world's first No Smoking Day tomorrow, to persuade its millions of smokers to quit the habit. ... The country ranks first in the world in consumption and production of tobacco. Its taxation brings in more than any other source to the country's financial budget, totaling 17 billion yuan last year.

The Chinese smoking population reached 316 million last year, up 15 million from the figure in 2010, according to a report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.