Smoking in the Stall in China? Prepare for Your Accidental Debut
(Getty/Suraseth Jantarapat)
Two shopping malls in southern China are testing an unconventional approach to stopping people from smoking in restrooms: transparency. Men’s bathrooms at Shenzhen’s Shuibei International Centre and the nearby Shuibei Jinzuo Building are now equipped with stall doors made of special glass that turns clear if cigarette smoke is detected.
Under normal conditions, the glass remains frosted. But when a smoke sensor is triggered, the system cuts power to the glass, causing it to become transparent within seconds, according to the South China Morning Post. Posted signs warn users, “Smoking will make the glass transparent. Do not lose control and end up becoming an online sensation,” the Global Times reports.
The pilot program, introduced in August, has sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media. Many users praised the idea as a strong deterrent, especially after years of no-smoking signs and modest fines failed to curb the behavior.
However, the initiative has also raised concerns about legality and personal privacy. Lawyer Lu Weiguo told the Yangcheng Evening News that mall operators could face legal responsibility if technical failures caused someone’s privacy to be exposed without justification.
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