In doing my research for this trip, I read that everyone in China smokes. Everyone. So when we got into the shuttle bus after landing in Shanghai, I was not surprised that it reeked of stale cigarette smoke. And when we got to our 5-star hotel and everything there smelled of smoke too, well, that's just how it is.
But the interesting thing is that even though everything in China smells like smoke, I haven't actually seen very many people smoking.
I've certainly seen people smoking, and it's not unusual to see people smoking right in front of the sign that says "No Smoking". But it's not been nearly as many people as I expected. People don't smoke inside the restaurants or stores (at least not the ones we've been in).
It's almost like the current generation realizes smoking is bad for you, but there's so much stale smoke ingrained into everything, from so many years and so many people, that they can't get rid of the smell.
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