Hilda Wang has made a habit of confronting people who smoke in public and posting the encounters online. She describes herself as naturally introverted, but says witnessing frequent public smoking has pushed her to speak up. In one widely shared video she scolds a man holding a cigarette; he objects to being filmed and leaves after she calls his behavior embarrassing.
Wang lives in Shenzhen, a crowded metropolis near Hong Kong where public smoking bans exist but cigarette use remains common — especially among men. World Health Organization figures show about 45% of Chinese males over 15 smoke, compared with roughly 2% of females, illustrating a sharp gender divide in tobacco use.
Hilda is not alone. A number of women in Shenzhen have begun publicly challenging men who light up in prohibited places, and their confrontations often end up on social platforms. Luno Wang, a friend of Hilda’s, says she frequently rebukes men she sees smoking, calling some of them “bros” and criticizing what she sees as rude, inconsiderate behavior. She has even asked smokers bluntly whether they think inhaling cigarettes is sensible.
Not all encounters are peaceful. In a clip that circulated this spring, a woman at a bus stop poured juice onto a man’s cigarette after he refused to extinguish it. The man threw the empty cup back at her, and both were detained. The woman later posted on the Chinese platform Weibo that police had subjected her to a strip-search; those posts were removed. The state-owned China Daily reported the woman underwent a female officer’s “safety check” in line with regulations, and that the man was fined for violating Shenzhen’s no-smoking rules at bus stops.
Many smokers defend their habit. Tan Tia-shan, who has smoked for decades, said he enjoys smoking and linked its social acceptance to traditional male dominance. He acknowledged a cough but insisted he otherwise felt fine. Still, some of the men approached by activists told NPR they were open to being lectured if it helped them quit.
As more women publicly call out rule-breaking smoking, clashes — online and offline — are likely to continue. The campaign highlights not just enforcement gaps in public smoking bans, but also broader cultural attitudes about gender, public behavior and personal responsibility.
The audio version of this story was produced by Taylor Haney.