A Chinese teacher's strong rejection of a student's complaint about insufficient benches in a university smoking area has reignited public debate over smoking in China.

A Chinese student’s complaint about the lack of benches in a university smoking area has been strongly rejected by a teacher, reigniting discussions on smoking publicly in China. The student at the Xian International Studies University, in northwestern Shaanxi province, made the complaint in the school’s internal feedback channel. The complainant said the lack of benches made smoking too “exhausting” and asked the school to provide more. A university teacher responded with a lengthy letter...