smoking

China has a large smoking population, and while smoking is banned in most indoor public spaces by law, hotel rooms are a grey zone where enforcement varies by property and city. The practical reality for a foreign non-smoker is that you must actively request a non-smoking room and confirm it, because “non-smoking” is not the default everywhere and a room can still smell of old smoke. Here is how to get a room that doesn’t, and what to do if yours does.