7. Smoking

Water pipes are a popular way to smoke in South China

From the World Health Organization:

• About 67% of men smoke, and 4% of women.
• Among youths, about a third of male teens smoke and nearly 8% of females.
• One of every three cigarettes consumed worldwide is smoked in China.
• Smoking will kill about a third of all young Chinese men alive (under 30 years).
• About 3,000 people die every day in China due to smoking.
• There are more than 300 million Chinese smokers - more than the entire US population. They consume an estimated 1.7 trillion cigarettes per year - or 3 million cigarettes every minute.
• China is the world's largest tobacco producer, accounting for about a quarter of the global tobacco leaf production.
• China used to be closed to tobacco multinationals. But in the last two decades, with the opening up of the Chinese economy, multinationals have been aggressively fighting for a piece of the Chinese market, seen as a "prize" market.
• In 1990, 68% of male physicians were smokers and 65% of teachers.
• Smoking contributes to four of the five leading causes of death in China today.
• In 1993, WHO estimated that while China gained $5 billion in tobacco taxes, the country lost $7.8 billion in productivity and additional health care costs.
• A study in Minhang district found smokers spent an average of 60% of their personal income and 17% of household income on cigarettes.
• In Hong Kong, tobacco companies spent an estimated $63 million on all forms or advertising and promotion in 1995.