The Journey Begins: Entering China During Zero-COVID

Defying the odds, Clive made it into China in 2021 when the country was virtually closed to the world. With no direct flights, mandatory COVID tests, and a gruelling quarantine, his arrival was just the beginning of a rollercoaster ride.

• Endless Tests and Health Codes: Weekly COVID tests and the infamous health code system became a part of daily life.
• Lockdowns and Isolation: A single positive case could trigger a lockdown, leaving Clive stranded on an island with no way out.

The Zero-COVID Madness

As the months rolled on, the Zero-COVID policies took their toll. Clive found himself trapped in a hotel, cut off from the world, as his patience wore thin. The constant uncertainty and restrictions tested his resolve, but he persevered.

The End of Zero-COVID and a New Challenge
When Zero-COVID finally ended in late 2023, the virus swept through China like wildfire. Streets emptied, and Clive caught COVID for the first time, leaving him bed-bound over Christmas.

• Juggling Illness and Responsibilities: Despite being unwell, Clive had to manage a mountain of exam prep, adding to his exhaustion.
• Family Troubles Back Home: With family issues in the UK weighing on his mind, Clive made the difficult decision to leave China.

A Bittersweet Farewell

Clive’s time in China was a saga of bureaucratic hurdles, cultural quirks, and unforgettable friendships. As he boarded a one-way flight out of the country, he knew this wasn’t just the end—it was the closing of a chapter that had tested, taught, and transformed his life.

Why You Should Read Clive’s Story

Clive’s journey is more than just a personal account; it’s a window into life in China during a historic period. His story is filled with:

• Cultural Insights: Discover the unique challenges and quirks of living in China.
• Resilience and Adaptability: Learn how Clive navigated one of the world’s strictest COVID regimes.
• Unforgettable Experiences: From lockdowns to friendships, his tale is both heartwarming and eye-opening.

Get the Book

Experience Clive’s incredible journey firsthand. His new Kindle book, Come to China, They Said, is now available on Amazon.

 Read the Book Here

The post Come to China, They Said: A Foreigner’s Journey Through Zero-COVID and Beyond appeared first on British Panda.

In all honesty, there’s not a huge amount of “bad: when it comes to Wenzhou, but in the name of balance, honesty and integrity, we need to examine all aspects of the city for a fair, justified representation. So, here are some of the pros and cons of Wenzhou: the good and bad aspects and elements of the city.

Pro: Size

If like me you hail from a small country like the UK, you might find the size of Wenzhou rather comforting. By Chinese standards it’s a small city, yet is home to a similar population size as London. So in this author’s opinion, it’s huge. However, you can get anywhere on a bus in around an hour, you can cycle into the centre fro0m the outskirts in an hour to an hour and a half.

Con: The Weather

Having lived in Bangkok and visited Singapore, I understand what humidity feels like. Wenzhou is roasting! I find it unbearable most of the time. Move closer toward the foot of the mountains and I believe it feels more humid. From June to October, there’s little relief, other than staying huddled around one’s aircon units. Venturing outside spells wet clothing, sunburn and general suffering. Tip: Venture west into Wencheng and you can find mountain retreats at circa 1000 metres elevation. The temperature sits around the lower 30s and hotels don’t even have air conditioning, it’s that comfortable. More on this to come!

Pro: The Food

Wenzhounese food is a delight. It’s healthy because seafood is plentiful, and it’s light and easy. Expensive in the UK, but oysters are cheap here and served steamed or barbecued. Either way, they’re healthy and delicious. Fish head is also popular here too, served in a light, yet often hot soup. Although a waste product in the UK, the head holds a lot of soft, fatty meat, and the head is often accompanied by strips of the body. Watch out for bones, though! Crab season is a real treat. The extra cost is well worth it, though!

Con: The Local Dialect

I can’t say I wasn’t warned. People would tell me before I arrived in China that Wenzhou-Hua is the most difficult of Chinese dialects. My first encounter with it was walking home late one night. I overheard some guys who’d had a drink or two. I thought to myself: “Have I entered a Russian area? What are they speaking?” The speech patterns often bear little resemblance to Mandarin and the sounds “du” and “gu” are repeated, often only subtly differentiated. However, resist it as you might, you’ll pick up a few bits and pieces, such as “vagaynang”, which is “why guo ren”, or “foreigner”, which they have no hesitation to say to your face.

Pro: Tourist Attractions

There is so much to do in Wenzhou. Starting with the Oujiang River: Walk towards Qidu Island and you can enjoy the promenade. The residential area becomes expensive, and with it comes some higher-end restaurants. Turn back upriver, and the next island is Jiangxin Island. This pretty island offers delightful grassed areas to picnic on and is home to an exemplary Buddhist temple, as well as the beautifully-maintained ex-British Consulate building.

Jiushan Park boasts a stunning Pagoda, and Jingshan (Gold Mountain) Park will take you up the mountains for some wonderful sights. There are a number of other mountain spots. The whole of Zhejiang province is stunning. However, my favourite was the west of the city in Wencheng County. Yuelao Mountain had it all: stunning views, delightful trails, and the aforementioned cooler weather, thanks to its elevation.

If you’re wanting to experience the sea more, then venture east towards Dongtoa. The island chain is home to some 100,000-plus people, and it’s the main island where a lot of city folk like to pick up a second home or escape for a break.

Con: Personal Space

This is a cultural thing. In the UK, we guard our personal space. In fact, of all European countries, the British are possibly the most “standoffish”. In Wenzhou, people stand up close to you and walk in front of you, and this same relationship with personal space extends to the roads. There’s a feeling of “just in time” avoidance of accidents, rather than the general maintenance of distance n the UK.

Pro: Hospitality

Many countries are known for their treatment of guests, but being a travelled person, I’ve not experienced hospitality like Wenzhou hospitality. People go out of their way to ensure you feel welcome, and drinks and food will always be offered. You won’t physically be able to pay for a meal unless you learn the tricks the locals employ. Assuming you lose the first round of “let me get this”, then it’s sure that it will take you some time until you pick up on the “nipping to the toilet trick”, or the “I’m just going outside to take this call rouse”.

The post Wenzhou City – The Good and the Bad appeared first on British Panda.

To receive a test, one simply joins a queue. A first window will scan the QR code of the Wenzhou health code mini program. This conveys one’s identity. The person scanning asks for your age, to ensure they have the correct person.  The queue then reaches a second window where you are administered with a mouth swab PCR test.

Shortly, both the Wenzhou health code WeChat mini program and the AliPay health code both show the time of your last test, then the results.

The post Stricter COVID Measures – Wenzhou China appeared first on British Panda.

In July 2021, I finally flew from London Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports, of course, leaving a country that had seemingly moved on from COVID restrictions. This article doesn’t consider the author’s opinions on COVID and COVID restrictions, it purely conveys a first-hand experience of both the UK and China, back-to-back.

Organising my flight to China was my introductory lesson into the workings of China’s zero-COVID policy. As virus variants emerged, China restricted flights from their hotspots and origins, with the UK falling under this remit as the Delta variant swept around the world. Direct flights were, therefore, unavailable, and one of the only routes into China for Travellers originating from the UK was from London Heathrow to Frankfurt, then to Nanjing.

Two days before flying, though, all travellers must have both a nucleic acid test and an IgM blood test at a Chinese government-approved testing organisation. Negative test data must then be shared with the Chinese government via a website, which then issues a green health code, valid for just 48 hours, that must be produced in order to be allowed to fly. Then, once again in Frankfurt, the same test, results and health code procedures must be undertaken for travellers to be allowed onwards to China.

On landing in China, the very first thing travellers are asked to do is to have a nucleic acid test administered, and then they are ushered onto coaches and taken to a pre-determined quarantine hotel where they must stay for 14-days before quarantining again under the supervision and testing of their local community.

What Zero COVID means

Day-to-day life in China leaves no room for COVID, and the local government reacts very rapidly to any reported cases. Cases are picked up on quickly, as testing is widespread. Staff members at medical facilities are widely tested twice weekly, and government and education staff receive regular tests.

Test data is fed through WeChat, China’s main social media app, and the app features a health code mini program, namely “Wenzhou (or relevant city name) Epidemic Prevention Code” (see right) that demonstrates the user’s health, and therefore, their freedom to access any place, from a university campus to a shop, a hotel to a restaurant. This health feature also conveys the user’s test time and results, their vaccination status, as well as an itinerary of where they have recently travelled. A current, local update is required to acquire a green health code certificate, allowing the holder into any restaurant, cafe, shopping centre and so forth.

As was the case in the spring of 2022, cases were on the rise in Shanghai. Despite the importance of Shanghai to China’s economy, the city of 26m people was put under strict lockdown for circa 2 months. Similar lockdowns threaten any city with ongoing positive COVID-19 cases.

Experience in Wenzhou

A tier 2 city, throughout the spring of 2022, Wenzhou periodically reported low numbers of COVID cases. In response, public events were cancelled. There were periods when classes at universities were rescheduled, and university campuses were cordoned-off for weeks and months at a time.

As part of my contract with a local university, as of June 2022, I am required every day to message my boss through WeChat, stating that I have not left the city.

Every Monday and Friday, I must take a screengrab of my travel itinerary (see left). This is part of the AliPay payment app which states where and when one has travelled. It also conveys your latest COVID-19 test status.

Also, every Tuesday, I must have a free-of-charge COVID-19 test at a testing station within the local university campus. To do so, I show them the screen of my “Wenzhou Epidemic Prevention Code” WeChat mini-program (top right). This is the aforementioned mini-program that enables one to board transport and enter eating, social, and retail establishments. The testing team scans the QR code on the screen, which identifies me, and then I receive my test.  My test results, and COVID status show within my apps shortly after.

The post China’s Zero-COVID Policy: First-Hand Experience 2022 appeared first on British Panda.