Zhang Yue, a man known for his vehement opposition to smoking, arrived in Yantai, Shandong province, last week to champion his cause - by snatching cigarettes from people on the streets.

    After seizing a cigarette from a smoker last Thursday, Zhang told the frightened man he intended to help him quit the habit.

    The man thanked him and said he would smoke less.

    Zhang, a native of Luoyang, Henan province, has been to 211 cities nationwide since 2001 to oppose smoking. He says his greatest joy is to take away cigarettes from smokers.