JD-0057
Camel Driver Having a Smoke, Xinjiang Province, China
© 2000 Jerry Dodrill

This Kyrgyzstani man was one of our camel drivers on our trek to the Kok Shaal Tau range in Northwest China. Here he is having a hand- rolled cigarette during a break from packing. In this remote land, people are poor and rolling papers are scarce and expensive. The cheap Chinese tobacco is simply rolled in a scrap of newspaper and smoked. Around 90% of males smoke tobacco in Northwest China where cigarette companies are largely owned and controlled by the government.