A metal-caged outdoor smoking zone in Taipei's Gongguan shopping district was ripped out entirely after it went viral online as an "open-air prison" — a win for critics, a loss for smokers who now have nowhere to go.

• The fenced smoking area at the Roosevelt Road and Xinsheng South Road corner drew mockery online for looking like a cage.
• It was still standing in the morning and completely gone by late afternoon, with even the dismantled parts hauled away.
• Only faint dents in the pavement show it was ever there.
• The district office had said it would be "beautified" by Friday, not demolished on Wednesday.
• City officials have not said where smokers are now supposed to go.

Outlook: Pressure is on Taipei city officials to explain the sudden removal and name a replacement spot for smokers.