Vaping in China

[antony73]

I'm new here, and as my first post, I wanted to say a little about my self as a 'Hello,' and as I'm living in China, give some feedback about what's going on in China regards vaping.

I've been vaping for 6 months, started with an ego 600 and "regular" Clearomizers, then to two 900s. I've just purchased two Vision Spinners (1300) with two Kanger Protanks, one mini and one full size. I'm aiming at gradually moving up to MOD, just a little worried about battery safety if I mess things up.

vaping IN CHINA:

I bought my e-cigarette in the UK during my last holiday there, and as far as I knew, no one in China was Vaping. It definately did, and still does, get a lot of looks from other people almost every time I go out. Recently, going out in the car, I did spot one guy with an e-cigarette in his hand, but just one... in six months. Other than that, it seems no one is vaping here, though most people have heard of e-cigarettes.

When I ran out of e-liquid I looked on Taobao.com, (China's version of ebay), and to my surprise, there were many, many online stores in China selling all kinds of e-cigarettes, from the cigarette look a likes to full MOD parts. Just where are all the people vaping???

Popular e-liquid in Chinese online stores tends to be either DeKang or Hangsen. 10ml is around 10p UK or 60 cents US. Really quite cheap. But then again, they're made here. There is no ingredients stated on the packaging, though I'm sure dealers of MODs would know. Imports from the US are available though pricey. I've been using DeKang mostly as it's more consistent.

I do hope it takes off here. It would be good to have a local bricks and mortar store to pop into, (though not always the choice/selection in "real" stores). I'm sure in time it will come here in a big way, along with regulation.

For now, there are many, many online stores here, but only me, (and one other guy maybe), vaping... in Kunming anyway.

 

[tazzle]

That's interesting! We're accustomed to so many products coming from China, and it's fascinating to learn that despite being such a huge hub for vaping products, there are so few apparently vaping there. Actually, it makes me think of an observation someone made (here on ECF? I don't remember) about a video for the e-Lvt "rugged" mod, where the Chinese guy (from the manufacturer) demonstrating the toughness of the mod (with a car running over it), was smoking a cigarette when he went to pick up the mod afterwards. Ha!

Welcome to the board!

 

[Seattle444]

Nice story Mate welcome to a really good forum for help and information. Nice to see another person join the forum.

 

[crtman4]

That is really nice of you to post a point of view from there. China is huge though, so vaping might be more popular in certain areas. Do you know how much regulation they have on smoking? I know many here vape because its such a pain to smoke many places, in addition to quitting of course. People I have talked to that went to China were primarily for manufacturing, and said you hardly needed to smoke due to all the pollution there.

 

[klynnn]

Thank you for posting I for one like the Chinese juice and am interested to hear your views. I know the Chinese do not like near the amount of sugar most americans do so I always augment their juice. I also would like more info in life in general there. I personally think China is where the US was about 50 years ago and I hope they learn from our mistakes.

 

[AmandaD]

Interesting, and rather surprising, to hear that you're not seeing much vaping in China! Presumably everyone's still smoking just as much as they used to? (I was there eons ago when the border had just opened!). On the other hand, I'm in Southern California, and I've never run into anyone else vaping here either (except in a vape store), although we know it's becoming much more widespread.

One huge advantage you have is that Fasttech might be your local store, and you won't have to wait weeks for your cheap stuff!

And, welcome to ECF

 

[klynnn]

I spent time in the PI and also Europe many years ago and loved it. Those experiences in how other people lived have changed my views on a lot of things.

 

[crtman4]

One huge advantage you have is that Fasttech might be your local store, and you won't have to wait weeks for your cheap stuff!

And, welcome to ECF

LOL, I missed that. A dream come true for some of us. Though a friend told me they try to charge Americans a lot more than locals.

 

[Nightshard]

You could order from fasttech.com but unlike everyone else you won't have to wait for a month till you get it from china

I suppose there are millions of vapers in china but a million Chinese are just a drop in the sea.

 

[winson9988]

vaping is not popular in China only some young men use e-cigarettes.

I am in Shenzhen,here are hundreds of e-cig factories,but none vapor shop.

Be careful when you buy e juice from taobao. too many fake product there.

 

[Sarin]

10ml is around 10p UK or 60 cents US.

Jesus, you really should look at exporting to other countries if it's that price!

 

[skoony]

correct me if i am wrong.vaping is illegal in china.completely.
it interferes with the profits of the politicians and generals who control
the contracts from foreign and domestic tobacco companies.
regards
mike

 

[AmandaD]

correct me if i am wrong.vaping is illegal in china.completely.
it interferes with the profits of the politicians and generals who control
the contracts from foreign and domestic tobacco companies.
regards
mike

Not according to Reuters:

Vaping a slow burner in China, world's maker of e-cigarettes | Reuters

 

[tj99959]

Need to remember that smoking hasn't been demonized for the last 50 years in China like it has been in the western world.

 

[skoony]

Not according to Reuters:

Vaping a slow burner in China, world's maker of e-cigarettes | Reuters

gooble"is vaping illegal in china?"
its on the internet it must be true or not true regards
i could still be wrong.

mike

 

[tj99959]

gooble"is vaping illegal in china?"
its on the internet it must be true or not true regards
i could still be wrong.

mike

illegal in Singapore, legal in China.

 

[AmandaD]

gooble"is vaping illegal in china?"
its on the internet it must be true or not true regards
i could still be wrong.

mike

Reuters is generally considered pretty reliable....

 

[antony73]

Nice posts - quite warming actually.

China has a very warm and friendly smoking culture that is nice to be around. At Chinese New Year, people sometimes offer each other packets of cigarettes, rather than the one cigarette. I've just come back from a wedding tonight, and as I greeted the bride and groom at the door, the bride offered me two cigarettes from a tray full. Often at weddings the bride will also light the cigarettes for the guests. It really is a friendly habit.

As for juices, I do buy mine from taobao, (kind of a Chinese Ebay), and although as winson9988 says, some are fake, I've never really had a problem. I enjoy them, though they do need airing, shaking and steeping. Hangsen is my usual. Over time, it becomes fairly easy to distinguish between the, "I'm selling EVs/liquid because I can get money from it," and those sellers who are genuine Vapers themselves and really know the subject inside out. Usual delivery time is around 7 days, which is more than acceptable for me.

Klynnn, you mentioned the sugar, and I must admit, I hadn't thought of that regarding e-liquids before. But since you come to mention it, yes, I did find English/western e-liquids on the sweet side when I visited my family in the UK last year, but haven't had that problem here.

As in most countries, I expect the future to be regulated liquid, and taxed. What will be the future of Vaping here? I really have no idea. Maybe it will be the young people who take it up as it becomes the norm in Western countries. I guess this will take several years at least. But I could be surprised. I've been here for three years in this amazing country and it never fails to surprise me. China is a wonderful and most richly cultured country.

 

[RaiDei]

antony73,

Thanks for all of the info. I'll be visiting Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai next month and couldn't find any concrete information on whether or not vaping is actually legal in China, but from your posts I guess that it is!

As a former analog smoker, I didn't want to fall back into actually smoking while I was there. Thanks a ton for being here and sharing with us!

 

[monkey39]

Could have something to do with cig costs there, as well. I'm pretty sure they're not taxed as heavily as in western countries, so the economic incentives to switch are not there. My wife is Thai - last time I was there, a pack of smokes cost about $3.50 for Marlboro Lights in stores, but locals can also find black market cigarettes for much cheaper. Local brands are cheaper, as well.

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