I predict the smoking ban will be in place and unenforced for at least five years.

Then, some sensationalist news-outlet will make it a cause de-jour and by then the public will have gotten used to the idea of the ban, so the implementation won't be so painful.
Oh, and all the smokers will have been sucked dry by mosquitoes by then.

(A mosquito's sense of smell is about 10,000 times better than yours. They are able to locate humans because they can detect the carbon dioxide that we give off. Smokers give off my CO2 don't they?)

Eat more tofu and fermented beans. The methane will counteract the CO2. Maybe worse than smoking though.

It will never happen in China. They can make all the laws they want. Who will be man enough to enforce them? Police have no respect here, which is why they never enforce anything. Plus it's too much trouble for them. Cut into their tea and Majong sesions.

Smoking is as natural as breathing in China. One of the few affordable things peasants can do here. Take that away and anarchy will rule. The govt has a huge vested interest in smoking. Makes them a lot of money. They can put up the signs, but just like everywhere else, they will be ignored. I am surprised they don''t smoke in the airplanes here. Besides there is plenty other things in China that will harm you way before 2nd hand smoke does. They should make eating illegal. That would serve the public health far more effectively.

"Smoke em if you got em!"

As long as your bar isn't the only one that follows the regulations you'll be fine. We've had regulations like this in Sweden for I guess about five years now and it's great being able to come home from a bar without smelling like... let's just say cigarettes.

I know Sweden and China aren't much alike, however I think you don't normaly go to a bar because you just want to smoke. You want to drink something, maybe have something to eat and hang out with your friends. That won't change. Most bars and clubs in Sweden have a backyard where all the smokers stand and some restaurants and bars have smoking rooms. You can't bring drinks or food in there though. So it's a bit mafan but people will get used to it :)

When the smoking bans started in Canada there was initial reaction claiming that business would suffer. Turns out the non-smokers could now go into these places comfortably and the smokers who wanted to eat or drink did so, then left space for others. In the end business did not suffer at all.

I'm surprised though that the rules are changing from wide open smoking to no smoking. I'm a non-smoker myself but would easily have settled for segregated areas with proper ventilation.

Surely here in Yunnan this is all a perhaps interesting, but moot point. Why? Because the chances of such a law being observed or enforced or laughably small.

Anyone still remember the 'no horn' rule except in extreme emergency, and then limited to three very short taps?

Can't say that the city has changed at all as a result.

I find that making laws is a tug-of-war in China. If too many of 'the people' are not interested in following it then the law is just quietly ignored and swept into the closet.

The adage "Rules were made to be broken" certainly applies to China big time.

Another one..."Laws?.....we don't need no stinkin laws!"

LOL