Thank You for Smoking?

As much as I've enjoyed China, I'm not sure how much longer I can tolerate the smoking. I'd guess that 75% or more of Chinese men smoke. Not just a cigarette or two, but one after the other, constantly. For leisure, they smoke cigarettes out of massive bamboo pipes, thus exponentially increasing the amount of smoke they inhale with each drag. It's terrifying to think of what a stronghold tobacco companies have on China and the public health implications that will ensue. I've spent hundreds of hours on trains and buses in the past 2 weeks, burying my face in my jacket, hoping to somehow filter the tobacco-filled air that I am forced to breath. On an 8 hour bus ride, its not uncommon for a Chinese man to go through a pack or 2 of cigarettes. Multiply that by 15, and you've got a smoke filled coffin! I've been congested and coughing up phlemg since I got here...I suspect its a direct result of the incessant second-hand smoke. It's disgusting and I want nothing more than to get away from it. It hope its not as bad in Laos!