Source: CCTV.com

09-10-2007 09:25

The eastern city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province is China's biggest production center for cigarette lighters. Most of the products are exported, and the biggest market is Europe. But in 2001, the NO. 1 customer proposed new standards, seriously damaging the industry in Wenzhou.

30 minutes in 65-degree-Celsius water. One single bubble is enough to mean failure in the test.

It's just one of the several checks one lighter has to go through.

One technician of Wenzhou Rifeng Lighter Corporation says "A lighter must pass ten to fifteen thousand striking tests within 24 hours. That will guarantee normal use of at least two years assuming the customer smokes one pack of cigarettes each day. "

The height of the flame also has to be measured precisely.

The flames must be no more than eight centimeters high and be able to burn two to three minutes at a time.

Such pursuit of high quality could been seen as a direct result of a letter from the European Commission in 2001.