A widely discussed dispute between a woman and a man over smoking at a non-smoking bus stop in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, reached a reconciliation on Friday night, according to a statement released by a joint investigation team on Saturday.
The team, formed by local health, public security, transport authorities, and the subdistrict office in the city's Guangming district, said that Wang, 29, and Chen, 33, argued after one tried to stop the other from smoking at a bus stop around dusk on Friday.
Wang then splashed her juice onto Chen's right hand that held the cigarette and tossed the plastic cup onto the road. Chen picked up the cup and threw it back at Wang. Police arrived at the scene following a report.
The online debate focused on whether Chen should be penalized and whether Wang's reaction was disproportionate. Wang's posts on social media detailing police procedures also sparked discussion on whether law enforcers overreacted.
According to the investigation team, both of them initially insisted on holding the other accountable, so police took them to a case handling center for investigation and conducted personal safety checks on them in accordance with regulations. A female staff member screened Wang in a separate, enclosed space.
Addressing public concerns over smoking rules at bus stops, the statement said that under Shenzhen's smoking control regulations, Chen violated the regulations. The local transport enforcement department has ordered him to rectify the violation and imposed an administrative fine.
Shenzhen has introduced the strictest smoking control regulations in China, according to which, bus stops are designated as public places where smoking is strictly prohibited.
