China strikes to ban ‘cigarette cards’ amongst minors | USAEMALL.com

Schools in several Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou prohibit students from bringing the cards to class.

A primary school teacher in Shanghai told the Shanghai Daily newspaper that students were often seen openly trading cigarette cards in hallways, even arguing over them during class. 

“It’s creating a distraction and fostering an unhealthy interest in cigarette brands,” the teacher said, adding that cards were often confiscated by staff who have raised “serious discussions with parents” about the risks. 

WHAT IS FUELLING THE TREND? 

Cigarette cards, often referred to as “yan ka” (which translates to “smoke card” in Chinese), are made out of empty or discarded cigarette packs, which are then folded into playing cards. 

They are extremely attractive to children and are seen as being cool, experts say. 

The more prestigious the brand, the more valuable the card is considered among players. 

Cigarette card games were popular in China during the 1970s.

The aim is to compete with others using the best cards by slapping them on the ground to flip over an opponent’s cards. 

The winner takes the losing party’s cards. 

But while the sale of tobacco and tobacco products to minors is strictly banned in China, children have been known to easily obtain empty cigarette boxes from convenience stores and tobacco shops near schools – often priced cheaply at 1 yuan (US$0.14) a pack. 

Some have even gone to great lengths to pick up discarded cigarette boxes found littered on the streets, or searched for them by rummaging through garbage bins.

Chinese media reports have highlighted cases of minors resorting to criminal activities to obtain such cards, like the case of six youths in Sichuan who were arrested in July after they were caught sneaking into a local store to steal high-end cigarettes worth more than 60,000 yuan.

After obtaining the cigarette packs, the teenagers reportedly threw the cigarette sticks away, littering forests and river streams.  

Checks by CNA on major Chinese shopping platforms like Taobao found multiple listings of ready-made cigarette cards, available for sale without age limits, on accounts branding themselves as toy stores. 

Cards were also seen listed as toys or collectibles, bypassing regulation. 

Sellers quoted in Chinese news reports have defended the legitimacy of their products, claiming that they were “completely legal” because they were either “printed matter not cut from boxes” or not containing actual cigarettes.