I shouldn't have shown you this...! What, the tobacco industry is in trouble too? Even a monopoly can't keep going!? Qiqi Baba TALK 'Refreshing 780' 20260926

This episode focuses on the rare wave of price cuts facing China's tobacco industry, the backlog of inventory, and the plight of tobacco farmers destroying their tobacco leaves. Through online clips, it showcases the phenomenon of inverted cigarette prices, dealers facing losses, and millions of smokers joining the ranks of those quitting, while also exploring the high benefits behind the monopoly industry and the hardships of ordinary people's lives under current economic pressure.

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Hello everyone, welcome to Qiqi Baba, I am Qiqi. First of all, I want to wish all my friends a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Also, I would like to ask, what flavor of mooncakes did everyone eat? You should send me one to try. Because I am half a day behind everyone, or rather, most friends or us are about half a morning behind, in short, there is a time difference of a few hours for most. And there are some friends who are exactly on the same time as me, because friends come from all over the world, so I will just go by my own time. So today, I wish everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and I hope everyone can have a happy reunion, and that your family, friends, and yourselves can be happy and healthy. Oh, and by the way, don't miss the live stream tonight, see you there.

[Video clip] Okay, help the teacher hold it, shall we film a video? Okay, today I want to introduce to you the cutest kid in our class, he is smart and brave. If he is late for class, he won't rush into the classroom, but will quietly wait outside the door so as not to disturb the other students. At school, he listens carefully in class and strives to learn every new knowledge point well. He is kind-hearted and very sensible, always thinking of his family, and the person he loves most is his grandfather. His grandfather has endless farm work to do every day, and whenever Qingyun sees his grandfather looking tired, he sheds tears out of heartache; he is a very sensible child.

Actually, I didn't really want to show everyone this video right at the beginning of this episode, because after watching it—well, since I've already seen it, I'm a bit better. Otherwise, when I first watched it, I really couldn't control my emotions. And today is a holiday, but I really feel like I still want to put it at the very beginning to share with everyone, because I think this is something no one could possibly act out unless they experienced it truly. Such a touching, genuine emotion, and this gradual, progressive change—at such a young age, he experiences such complex emotional surges. One can only imagine how harsh his short life has been to him so far, just like the protagonist in the movie *Capernaum*, who sues his parents in court, and when the judge asks him why, his answer is the same: because they gave birth to me.

[Video Clip] I went there, what is going on here? These tobacco farmers in Yunnan, have they gone crazy?

[Video Clip] Hey, no! Alright then, brother, give us a little.

[Video Clip] Show, this isn't right! Now cigarette prices keep rising, why are they throwing away and abandoning such good tobacco leaves? Why are tobacco farmers destroying the tobacco leaves they worked so hard to grow? Brother, I'm truly a bit confused.

[Video Clip] The most heavy-hitting news in the tobacco industry in 2026 is that the prices of all brand-name cigarettes on the market have inverted collectively, entering the largest drop channel in history. For example, Huangshan Tiangao Yuandan, which used to sell for 1,700 per carton, has now dropped to just over 700; even the hard-pack Chunghwa has dropped to the wholesale acquisition price.

[Video Clip] Brothers, cigarettes have really dropped in price! This one has already dropped by 1.5. Is really no one smoking anymore? Ah, he just bought it from the supermarket.

[Video Clip] I heard cigarettes dropped in price, how did they drop? I just can't wrap my head around it! This fully proves that we can live without them, but they absolutely cannot live without us! Fuck!

[Video Clip] Originally, all this money belonged to the tobacco company. I've already quit smoking, and even if prices drop I won't smoke. I'd rather paste the money on the wall to get moldy than give it to them. My hard-earned money won't go to them to raise their grandkids.

[Video Clip] The most stupid consumption in the world is smoking. With a monthly salary of 3,500, you are supporting someone with an annual salary of 400,000. You hide in a corner blowing smoke, while they lie in luxury mansions losing money hand over fist. You live frugally to save tuition money for your kids, while they take their families on global tours to achieve financial freedom. You trade your health for temporary stress relief, while they use your money to enjoy themselves.

[Video Clip] China Tobacco has sounded the alarm. If things continue to develop this way, China Tobacco might run into major problems. Last year, tax revenue exceeded 1.5 trillion, breaking records, but behind this glamorous facade are nothing but cracks. Sales are barely growing, relying solely on price hikes to stay afloat. High-end cigarettes aren't selling, price inversion exceeds 70%, and distributors lose money just stocking goods. Last year, 320,000 tobacco shops nationwide disappeared, with an average of 900 closing every day; even old shops that had been open for over a decade couldn't hold on. Behind the trillion-yuan tax and profit lies a reality that cannot be ignored: the growth model has reached its end.

[Video Clip] The reason for the drop in cigarette prices should be that more and more people are quitting, leaving goods unsold and stranded, so those bastards are anxious. They toss and turn unable to sleep, rack their brains, and find a representative to claim that smoking is beneficial to health. The more they say that, the less the anti-smoking army cares—why? Because our trust in them is zero.

[Video Clip] Do you know how much retirement pension people from China Tobacco can collect now? It is said that after retiring from China Tobacco, the first item is the pension, which is about 14,200 yuan per month. Then the second item is the living subsidy, which is 1,000 yuan per month. The third item is the annual bonus, which is about 2,000 yuan per month. Moreover, there is also a year-end bonus, which is about 18,000 each year. That means after you retire from China Tobacco, your monthly income is about 19,000 yuan. Every month we work ourselves to the bone early and late, and we can't even make a fraction of what they get. Tell me, aren't you envious?

[Video Clip] Cigarettes are dropping in price, the weather is getting cold, and you remember to put on a jacket; you are short on money, and you remember your parents; it's too late, the old guys have all quit and stopped smoking. Among the 90 million people in the quitting smoking army, is there a brother of yours?

[Video Clip] These cigarettes are so expensive, a dozen yuan, dozens of yuan a pack. These tobacco farmers produced tobacco leaves, burned them, and threw them in a ditch. What does this indicate?

[Video Clip] Hurry up and quit! Cigarettes are starting to drop in price now, what does that prove? There are a lot of people quitting smoking now. This year I found that really a lot of people are quitting smoking.

[Video Clip] I'm posting this video today as proof, I'm going to join the 80 million strong quitting smoking army. I smoke a pack and a half a day, and this pack of cigarettes is 19 yuan, so it costs over 20 yuan a day, way too wasteful of money. I'm not going to support those bastards anymore, I quit.

[Video Clip] Brothers, cigarettes have dropped in price, just ran to the small shop to buy cigarettes, 15 yuan was missing. Then I asked the question: "I said boss, 15 yuan right?" The boss said: "You give me 14." It's so hard now, even cigarettes have dropped in price, you've all heard about it right? Cigarettes have gone down in price, some people can't sit still anymore and are starting to worry.

[Video Clip] Look at that, not supporting them anymore, brothers! You be a bit ruthless, you pull it out and look, pull out a black one and it just won't sell. Hey, fuck, those years of work for nothing, that, that.

[Video Clip] I swear, I will never plant tobacco again in my life. To put it bluntly, it's natural disasters, man-made disasters, and no contracts. What do I make this money out for? Rely on a house and you can't build a house, houses and houses have no money to buy. If I plant flue-cured tobacco again, I'll eat shit. Look at these two flue-cured tobacco plants? When planting them you stand up, when leaving you crawl and kneel, and when selling you're crying.

[Video Clip] Ah! Blah blah blah, and you, look at this, look at what to do about this? This weather, oh!

[Video Clip] This year's tobacco farmers escaped natural disasters, but couldn't escape the ruthless methods of your tobacco company. A word from you guys plunges the only bit of hope of us old farmers into the abyss. If your tobacco company's development direction doesn't need this many tobacco leaves anymore, give us a heads-up beforehand when registering, then there's no need to waste a whole year of effort and painstaking work. This year you tell us tobacco farmers how to get by?

[Video Clip] Thank the government ha, thank the Party ha, thank the tobacco company's combustion accelerant ha, quit smoking from now on, quit smoking from now on.

[Video Clip] Are the tobacco companies still acting cocky? Still adding high-tech stuff inside? Still playing hunger marketing? This time, we all quit. Your high-tech stuff, keep it and smoke it yourselves.

[Video Clip] Passing by a flue-cured tobacco base in the mountains today, I finally understood why smokers across the internet are saying that today's cigarettes don't taste like the old days anymore. Let me show you something, I don't know if it will help you quit smoking? This is what I saw next to the flue-cured tobacco base, I don't know if it helps you quit smoking?

[Video Clip] Postgraduate entrance exams are getting harder to sell, that is a nailed-down fact. Friends, getting angry is useless, and feeling sad is useless. I also checked some meetings and documents related to postgraduate entrance exams last night. All in all, it is to strictly control quality and stabilize quantity. So in the future, it might be a normalized action for postgraduate entrance exams to be hard to sell.

[Video Clip] Oh! Stop messing around! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming!

Ahahaha!

[Video Clip] Suddenly decided to quit smoking, will show you guys. Just happens that I have two packs on me today, let me show you guys! I randomly lit two of them, look at the speed of spontaneous combustion, you don't even have to smoke it, see that? You suddenly have a moment where you feel like you're really acting like an idiot. Think about it, in the past I felt like half a pack a day was enough, now sometimes a pack a day isn't even enough. I thought my nicotine addiction got bigger, but actually it means I take one puff, frantically take one puff, uh the combustion accelerant takes another two or three puffs.

[Video Clip] Program: Shouldn't have shown this to everyone…! What, the tobacco industry is in trouble too, monopoly industries can't even keep going!? Blah Blah Talk "Refreshing the Mind 780" 20260926

[Video Clip] Can it not be fast? Saying this money was wasted, truly it's that I'm willing to consume, but you can't treat me like a fool.

[Video Clip] I shouldn't have shown you this! What, the tobacco industry is also in trouble? Even monopolies can't keep going!? Qiqi Baba TALK "Refreshing 780" 20260926

[Video Clip] The 50 million strong online anti-smoking army, I've joined too. Ah, quitting.

[Video Clip] Our anti-smoking army used just one trick, and it made them panic. I've been smoking for twenty years, and I quit just like that. I won't be a sucker.

[Video Clip] ...of it. Tobacco shops are really not easy to run these days. Before, you could make dozens on a carton of cigarettes, but now it's the opposite; you lose dozens of yuan selling a carton. Why is everyone selling them off? It's because the inventory is too large, and these cigarettes can't be stored. Once cigarettes are two years old, their value drops significantly. If they get moldy, they aren't worth a dime.

[Video Clip] I've dropped from tier 27 all the way to tier 15; I really can't hold on anymore. I only ordered seven cartons today. Bosses, how many cartons are you ordering a week now?

[Video Clip] Oh my! You sneaky bastard, you can't even move one carton a year. Is it you who changed or is it my problem? Come and see. Can you still lie flat by relying on tobacco? There's at least 300,000 [yuan] worth of stock in this room. The tobacco shop iron rice bowl, is this iron rice bowl still that attractive?

[Video Clip] Isn't this winning?

[Video Clip] Did you smash it?

[Video Clip] Ah.

[Video Clip] They're all addicted to being ahead! Another new invention, look! The Huainan Tobacco Logistics Center in Anhui Province independently developed an "irregular cigarette catching artifact." This device was completed by five frontline sorting experts over three months and fifteen iterations. It uses lightweight ABS material, can be operated with one hand, and can grab ten cartons of slim or flat-box irregular cigarettes at once, fitting over 95% of product specifications. Grassroots employees generally report that it saves effort and protects their wrists. Huainan Tobacco stated they will continue to dig for frontline "golden ideas." Yeah, without you, there's no...

[Video Clip] You didn't see it wrong, it really is, uh, this clamp that five elites spent three months researching. I remember when I was wearing split-crotch pants, I saw my second uncle using this kind of clamp. I didn't expect it to have infiltrated the system now. A netizen in the comments section said he laughed so hard he leaked urine; I think it must be because he's too proud.

[Video Clip] Right.

[Video Clip] It suddenly reminds me of when I was a kid, the group of pigs my family raised, they could eat and drink, and were both stupid and funny.

[Video Clip] The salaries at the Kunming Tobacco Bureau really make me green with envy! For a mid-level technical position, the single-side housing provident fund alone is over 3,000, plus seven insurances and two funds, and after deductions, the take-home pay is 23,000. Add in the year-end bonus and various subsidies, the annual take-home pay is around 400,000. How is this an iron rice bowl? This is clearly a golden rice bowl, isn't it?

[Video Clip] Millions of smokers quitting collectively, I originally thought it was just a hyped-up trending topic, insignificant, and would be gone in a couple of days. Until last night, hey, after drinking, usually I've always played with pipes, I don't really show this. Until I was feeling good after drinking last night, I decided to have one to enjoy myself, and it scared the hell out of me. I finally know why everyone wants to quit now. Let me first state the brand, it's this one, which was a brand we used to like very much, the flavor and taste were excellent back then. What is this now? Did they add gunpowder to it? Or what did they add to it? Its burning speed is like a gunpowder fuse. Once you light it, you don't have to worry about it, it just burns and burns and burns, and it's gone in a flash. And, why does it burn more fiercely? Tobacco.

They say they are barely hanging on. Honestly, for gray industries like tobacco, alcohol, or edge-content, you can't exactly call them illegal, but they are indeed, uh, strictly regulated. They are either monopolized or exist in this, uh, gray area between legal and illegal. Even they are saying the economy is failing and that it's impossible to make a living. In theory, these industries should be making money with their eyes closed, especially since many of them hold monopolies granted by the government, like tobacco, right? But now, you see that every node in these industries, their upstream and downstream partners, are also saying that times are tough. But actually, this is normal, because friends, you have to realize that many Chinese people today are struggling just to get enough to eat. No matter how addictive these things are, they are still based on the foundation of being well-fed. So, I really feel that life is too hard for many Chinese people right now. I don't mean they are about to starve to death immediately, like in the famines of the past; it's that most of them are under immense mental pressure every single moment, to the point where they don't even realize where this pressure is coming from. Uh, I think this is a form of torture more painful than hunger. Alright, that is all for this episode. If you would like to support me, please join the membership channel. Also, I really hope to see you at the livestream tonight at 9:30 PM in Beijing and Taiwan. That's it for this episode, see you next time.