Han Li or Hon Lik () is a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

pharmacist who invented the modern

electronic cigarette An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or vape, is a device that simulates smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...

Early life

Hon Lik (or Han Li) was born in

Shenyang, China Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. It is the province's most populous city with a pop ...

in 1951. He started smoking at age 18. He attended

Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine or LNUTCM () is a university in Liaoning Province, China, with its main campus in Huanggu District, Shenyang and a branch campus in Dalian Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city i ...

and graduated with a pharmaceutical degree. He joined the Liaoning Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1982.

Career

From 1990 to 1994, Hon Lik was the Deputy Director of Liaoning Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in charge of research and development of new botanical drugs. In 2003, he become Director of Western Technologies Corp. He was a co-founder of Dragonite International Limited, a Hong Kong company in health care, pharmaceuticals, and electronic cigarettes. Hon was Dragonite's

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and Director for eight years. Golden Dragon Group purchased Dragonite in 2007. Golden Dragon Group sold Hon's e-cigarette invention to

Imperial Tobacco Imperial Brands plc (originally the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain & Ireland, and subsequently Imperial Tobacco Group plc) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is ...

, the "tobacco giant" in Britain, in 2013. Hon Lik has compared the e-cigarette to the digital camera, suggesting it represents a similar technological shift from analog to digital. He has expressed support for greater industry regulation, encouraging involvement from major pharmaceutical companies and stricter oversight by agencies such as the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

to ensure product safety.

Invention of the e-cigarette

Hon's original goal was to help himself quit smoking cigarettes. Ultimately, this did not work. He is now a dual user, both smoking and vaping, but says he's still smoking only to check flavors. He filed patents on his invention in China, the United States and the European Union based on his 2003 priority application in China. The first electronic cigarette was manufactured in 2004 in Shenyang, China, and was called "Ruyan." The Ruyan had the same system used today: aerosolized liquid through a heating element powered by an

electric battery An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive Terminal (electronics), terminal is the ...

. He is now working on another product, the "e-hookah", to be sold in the Middle Eastern and North African markets.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hon, Lik Chinese inventors 1951 births Chinese pharmacists Businesspeople from Shenyang Electronic cigarette manufacturers Living people