A new regulation that stops smokers from lighting up in the capital's public places is the toughest ever adopted in China, and it could become a template for the entire country, as Wang Xiaodong reports.

Anti-smoking campaigners at home and abroad have hailed a new regulation on tobacco use in Beijing as a major step forward in the country's efforts to control smoking.

The new rules, which took effect on Monday, are the toughest ever imposed in China, and senior health officials said the capital could serve as a model to pave the way for national tobacco-control regulations and prevent an increase in smoking-related deaths and illnesses. However, they warned that the government needs to show that it is determined to stamp out smoking, and that resolve will be crucial to the successful implementation of the measures.