Dan... thanks for the advice. Living up on the 26th floor the bugs can't get past the bats and swallows. Nor can the roaches. But this plague of hedgepigs you mention has been getting out of hand lately. They can't reach the lift buttons ( by the way these harbour more germs than most things away from public toilets: not the hogs: the buttons) so they must be scootling up the 480 steps. Now they are nesting everywhere and frightening our Turkish white cat. So I delight in having an answer. I shall scoop up several cubic metres of nauseous smoke from my pubs and bring it home in black rubbish sacks ( the kind we lived in on the middle of the motorway when I were a lad). I shall waft the room and open the balcony doors. Can hogs fly?

For all the right reasons Beijing will implement smoking bans in public places. This to include bars and restaurants. It is not mentioned in the proposal how this will be enforced.

I have conflicting interests. I have never put a cigarette in my mouth; of any kind. I have lived most of my life in clean environments with fresh winds and wild views. Suddenly it seemed I moved to a city. In my mind it is big and sprawling but those around me apologise, saying it is just a small one. But they tell me the rare breezes set off from the mountains of Tibet and not from spluttering Beijing or the Gobi. For arguments sake allow me to be deceived sometimes. You might be led to surmise i do not dwell in Chengdu nor Kunming. Coming from a village of 300 that would be a jungle or two too far.

My dilemma? I sell beers and wines and spirits. My whole livelihood comes from working for myself. I am not pampered anymore by a school or college. In fact I've been self-employed for 24 years with just a 2 year break while I adjusted to my now 7+ year sojourn in China.

The Chinese smoke. They smoke a lot. In fact they are not only the number one country of smokers percentage-wise but each smoker smokes more on average than in any other country. Their cigarettes of choice are also less clean ( is a 'clean' cigarette an oxymoron? ) and with more heavy metals etc. in them. They also seem to all smoke in pubs and bars. Okay, I installed expensive air purifiers in my pub/bars. We have good a/c. We even empty half-full ashtrays. Was this for my customers' or for my own health? International brand too and guaranteed to each filter 70m3 per hour...... but. They only help rather than succeed when we are packed.

" Smoking ban in British Pubs" sounded like a death knell. It also made the doorways look less inviting with gangs of draggers loitering about.

Now my question is: will this affect my business? My initial thoughts have been that it will get universally ignored. Yes, I can see some ex-pats tapping smokers and pointing with disdain at the signs and regailing those who laugh back.They just might allow corners for smokers so the uniformed health inspectors ( yes, they abound and do their job with [malice aforethought?] gusto. Their white buses even say Health Inspector on them in English !).

At first I was pensive about this but after a few seconds of deep pondering I am of the conclusion that for some time at least the ban will not affect the way of traditional life at most bars and pubs. After all in a democratic country the majority should rule.... shouldn't it?