BEIJING -- Beijing's municipal lawmaking body passed a law Thursday banning smoking in public places in mid-1996, but half the city's adult men are smokers and there are doubts over how the new rules would be followed.


The standing committee of the Beijing municipal People's Congress passed a law banning smoking in hospitals, theaters, schools and public transport facilities from May 15, 1996, Xinhua news agency said.


Individuals violating the ban could be fined 10 yuan ($1.20), it said.


China's booming financial center, Shanghai, northeastern Shenyang, central Wuhan and southwestern Chongqing have banned smoking in public places.


Over the last two years, Beijing has outlawed firecrackers and severely limited private dog ownership in a bid to improve safety, public hygiene and its image.


China is the world's largest tobacco producing and consuming country. More than 350 million smokers puff 150 billion cigarettes every year, accounting for 30 percent of the world's total.