Objectives Our study aimed to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on the clinical phenotype of patients registered in the Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Treatment and Research (CSTAR) group registry database, the first online registry of Chinese patients with SLE. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study of Chinese SLE patients was conducted using the CSTAR. Our case-control analysis was performed on age-and gender-matched subjects to explore the potential effect of cigarette smoking on the clinical manifestation of SLE. Results Smokers comprised 8.9% (65/730) of patients, and the ratio of females/males was 19/46. Thirty-nine patients were current smokers, and 26 were ex-smokers. Data showed significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers in the following areas: nephropathy (58.5% vs. 39.2%; p = 0.003), microscopic hematuria (30.8% vs. 19.1%; p = 0.025), proteinuria (53.8% vs. 34.4%; p = 0.002), and SLE Disease Activity Index(DAI) scores (12.38 +/- 8.95 vs. 9.83 +/- 6.81; p = 0.028). After adjusting for age and gender, significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers were found with photosensitivity (35.9% vs. 18%; p = 0.006), nephropathy (59.4% vs. 39.8%; p = 0.011), and proteinuria (54.7% vs. 35.2%). Although smokers tended to have greater disease severity compared with nonsmokers (SLEDAI scores: 12.58 +/- 8.89 vs. 10.5 +/- 7.09), the difference was not significant (p = 0.081). Conclusions Cigarette smoking triggers the development and exacerbation of SLE, especially with respect to renal involvement. Chinese smokers with SLE should be advised to discontinue cigarette use.