The Chinese tobacco industry has an easier time than its counterparts in the US and Europe. China is a country where restaurants with non-smoking sections could probably be counted with the fingers of two hands: the anti-tobacco lobby is not very powerful. Nonetheless, restrictions on tobacco advertising are similar to the US and Europe, and tobacco companies are looking for other ways to promote their products.
The Xiamen Cigarette Factory is running a banner ad campaign on Sohu.com, not for cigarettes but for a forum currently being held in Xiamen. The event is called the 2004 Development Forum of Chinese-style cigarettes with low tar and low hazard.
The forum has a mini-website hosted by Sohu here. The website’s banner states:
Cigarettes give people a feeling of satisfaction, but they also harm the body. A rational attitude towards cigarettes must first take into account that the desire for that feeling of satisfaction is reasonable. Onloy then can the best balance be found. At this point of balance, speaking about Chinese smokers who are already in the habit of smoking Chinese style flue-cured tobacco, the choice is for low tar, low hazard cigarettes.
Er, yes. Some of the themes of the forum’s website are:
– Can humans really give up cigarettes?
– Awareness about cigarettes and public health
– Controlling smoking
– Cigarettes and relations between the sexes