1492, two crew members of Columbus, Jerez and Torres, found that Cuban natives lit dry cigarettes and smoked the cigarettes they distributed. Jerez tried smoking. He became the first smoker in Europe.
15 18 years, Spanish explorers discovered that Aztecs and Mayans smoked grass with empty reeds, and the Spanish also learned to smoke, so the first cigarette was produced.
16 12 years, John Rolver planted the first acre of commercial tobacco in Virginia, USA.
1843, French tobacco companies began to produce Spanish-style cigarettes, which were officially named "cigarettes" in French, from which the word English cigarettes came.
188 1 year, and the cigarette making machine with a daily output of 120000 was patented. Before that, cigarettes were all made by hand.
1924, American Reader's Digest published an article for the first time, reminding people that smoking is harmful to health.
1966, a new sign began to be printed on American cigarette packaging: be careful! Smoking is harmful to health.
The history of tobacco and its social relationship with human beings
According to historical records, tobacco is not our native product. It is said that it was brought to China by Portuguese sailors in the16th century. However, few people remember this origin now. Because it has been hundreds of years since the16th century, it is not good to be regarded as a "foreign tribute" but as a "domestic product", which is also a common thing in cultural history. For example, it is said that pepper originated in tropical South America and was not introduced to China until the17th century. But ask people from Hunan, Shaanxi and Sichuan. How many people admit that eating Chili is a "foreign seasoning"?
There are a large number of smokers in China, which has already surpassed the country of origin. Moreover, despite scientific warnings and government restrictions, the number of smokers has not decreased. Judging from the sales situation in recent years, it has increased a lot, and China has become a big country in the tobacco world. Did you really verify Andy Lau's recent sentence in the movie "The Disciple"? "I didn't force you to smoke, it all came from the emptiness and loneliness in human heart?"
According to the truth, people in China should not and will not smoke. Smoking is not a tradition, and China people value tradition; Smoking is not good, while China people pay attention to benefits; Smoking is harmful to health; And we are good at fitness. I don't know why we accept it. It must be cultural reasons.
When it comes to culture and tobacco, culture and social economy are in harmony. It constitutes a unique and beautiful landscape on the level of mass culture, with society as the soil, social culture as the connotation, mass culture as the color and commercial culture as the essence, and also builds a good bridge with interpersonal relationships. Because alcohol, tobacco and rice, even like music, can coordinate interpersonal relationships. Here are some examples: [color = red]1. If two people meet, give a cigarette, pat on the shoulder and talk more harmoniously. Second, you need to refresh yourself, such as writing. Cigarettes represent the author's mind and soul. Without smoke, they will wither. Third, for example, if you are alone at home, you can use cigarettes to relieve boredom. Fourth, when socializing, such as on the wine table. [/color] In addition, according to my observation, there are more smokers in the north than in the south, because northerners are generous and loyal to their feelings. Of course, they drink more wine than we southerners, which may be called not separating alcohol from tobacco.
If we compare the culture of wine and tobacco, maybe the culture of tobacco is not as long as that of wine. But an important cultural function of cigarettes is communication. The traditional social things in China are wine and tea, but now cigarettes have greatly replaced them, because you can't pour a pot of tea or a bottle of wine on everyone, can you? However, with a pack of cigarettes, you can travel around the world. "Smile when you meet and give a cigarette" is really natural and relaxed. Even if you ask for help, the most you give is to smoke first and then drink, which may be the biggest advantage of cigarettes.
Cigarettes can help us make friends and meet people. For example, smokers are mostly generous, but they may also be sloppy and dissolute; Non-smokers are often rigorous and calm, but they can also be cautious and stingy. Public relations people know that smokers are easier to deal with than non-smokers, not only because cigarettes play a stepping stone, but also because smokers tend to be extroverted, and extroverts are more sociable and sociable. Through cigarettes, we can also see the depth of the relationship between people. Politely handing out cigarettes shows that the relationship is still shallow, they are not familiar with each other, and they are still in the stage of establishing friendly relations, or there is a certain gap between them (such as the relationship between superiors and subordinates); Fighting for cigarettes shows that the two sides have equal status, but their relationship is half-baked and they are willing to develop friendly relations; Handing and throwing cigarettes, reaching into each other's pockets and taking out cigarettes to respect others, are simply iron buddies. As for inviting guests to dinner, as long as there are smokers on the table, cigarettes are necessary, and it is a very shameful thing for guests to pay for cigarettes themselves. Now everyone knows the importance of cigarettes. Maybe that's why so many people smoke.
We are not praising cigarettes, it is the enemy of health. This is a fact, and you know it very well. Seeing that smoking is harmful to health under every pack of cigarettes still shows that the country cares about people's physical and mental health. Maybe one day, cigarettes will disappear from this world, but the spiritual will it brings to us will always exist.