Smoking in films and on TV

Editor's note: Beijing's latest anti-smoking legislation, which has been described as the toughest so far, came into effect on June 1. It prohibits smoking in restaurants, offices and other public venues. Should the ban be applied to movies and television shows? You're welcome to leave your comments.

Caged (expat in China)

I'm for extremely strict controls, and would be against explicitly promoting smoking in films, but what about character building, reflecting historical accuracy and all the other reasons for which one might want to ban smoking scenes?

I could see banning actors from smoking real cigarettes on screen, which would both protect their health and make the director think more seriously about whether it's worth the hassle of making them smoke fake cigarettes.

Lead character of "New Shanghai Bund," played by Chinese mainland actor Huang Xiaoming, is seen in this scene holding a cigarette. The TV series have been accused of having too much smoking scenes.(File Photo)