Chinese Cigarettes / CHINESE CIGS / ALL cigs 所有烟
Chinese Cigarettes / CHINESE CIGS / Chinese 中国烟
Chinese Cigarettes / CHINESE CIGS / Carton 按条
Chinese Cigarettes / CHINESE CIGS / Carton 按条 / $9-$20
Product ID: 773

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This is probably the only brand of Chinese cigarettes that is exported in large quantities. The destination? The land of Carnaval, Bossa Nova, and Ipanema: Brazil. This story has its' roots in the Bossa Nova godfather Antonio Carlos Jobim, who took a long vacation cruise to Shanghai in the 1920's, where he also performed a few concerts. Once there, his guide and translator, a Dutch transplant working in the finance industry, showed Mr. Jobim about town. The guide, Mr. Ganesvoort, was addicted to Hong Mei Cigarettes, and offered them to Mr. Jobim.

Mr. Jobim soon became addicted and brought a few packs with him back to Brazil. He instantly ignited a trend, and everyone in the music circles and later the general populace started clamoring for Hong Mei cigarettes. A few enterprising Chinese laborers living in Rio's Chinatown started importing the cigarettes and soon were making a handsome living.

To this day, Brazilian old timers can be seen smoking Chinese Hong Mei cigarettes in their barrios, as they complain about the ills of modern day life.

This Soft Pack series was created at the specific request of the Chinese laborers-turned-entrepreneurs. Because of the large quantities imported into Brazil, the manufacturers of Hong Mei brand cigarettes were only too happy to satisfy this request. The reason? Soft pack packaging was cheaper to make, and, charging the same price to the Brazilians, the Chinese importers could make a larger profit.