Reports says China has over 300 million smokers, and more than a million Chinese die from smoking-related issues every year.
Its not the first time that the chinese government banned public smoking in China, but have largely failed to crack down on the habit.
Ministry of Health guidelines published in 2011 banned smoking in all public spaces nationwide such as hotels and restaurants. The rules were vague, however, and often flouted by Chinese smokers who are accustomed to lighting up at will.
BBC analyst Martin Patience reported that the country consumes a third of the world’s cigarettes, and more than half of men smoke. It’s seen by many as a masculine trait – women, in contrast, rarely smoke.
This is so common that It has become a way of greeting, and serves as a gift exchanged among men.
The new ban rules were agreed by lawmakers in November 2014 but only came into effect on 1 June.
The legislation lawbreakers in Beijing will be fined 200 yuan (£21; $32) and businesses that turn a blind eye could be fined up to 10,000 yuan failure to adhere to the rules.
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