• Cigarettes, while still 100% bad for you, remain a significant part of gift-giving in China. Mother Goods has designed a substitute called “The Most Successful Gift,” a luxurious replica of cigarette cartons.
• The Most Successful Gift balances tradition with health concerns over smoking.

In China, cigarettes are a part of social currency and are often given as gifts, so it’s very common to give cartons of premium smokes as a sign of respect. In business settings, accepting cartons of cigarettes can signal a willingness to engage in a partnership.

Of course, it’s also fairly established that cigarette smoking is bad for one’s health, even if it has come roaring back. Nonetheless, the custom of cigarette gift-giving persists, and turning down a carton can be socially awkward or send the wrong message to the recipient.