腐爛的肺部、骷髏的頭像、漆黑的牙齒，這些圖案將可能出現在中國生產的煙盒上。但是專家指出，過去十年的研究表明年輕人對驚悚直觀的圖像，比如骷髏頭，更感興趣，因此，這些本意用于警示“吸煙有害身體健康”的圖案不僅不能嚇退煙民的吞吐熱情，反而會誘使更多青年人加入煙民的隊伍中來。

The warning on the cigarette packets,"Smoking is harmful to health".[cnsphoto]

The government's plan to discourage people from smoking by insisting cigarette packets carry images of skulls, blackened teeth or diseased lungs could actually lure youngsters to take up the habit, an expert said this week.

Zhao Cuiping, a youth expert, said: "Research conducted over the past decade has shown that young people like scary images, like skulls, much more than pleasant ones like cats and dogs.

"Rebellion, curiosity and craving for stimulation are the character traits of this group. So putting a skull on a pack of cigarettes might well attract a young person to take up smoking."

Zhao was speaking in response to comments made at a lecture last week by an official from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

He said that in line with the WHO's "Framework Convention on Tobacco Control", which China joined in 2006, from January 2009, all cigarette packets must carry one of the "offensive" images and that it must cover at least 30 percent of the surface area. China currently has 350 million smokers.

And according to a report by Ma Jun, a professor at Peking University, the age at which people are taking up smoking is getting younger.

An official with the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, who asked not to be named, said it was still possible the images might not be used.

(China Daily/Agencies)

（英語點津 于楠 編輯）