Beijing Coronavirus Diary: Part 2
The New Normal continued from Part 1.
Age: 29 | Gender: Female
Occupation: Social Media Manager
Location: Beijing, China
Quarantine Status: Quarantined with friends, Working/Studying from Home
State of calmness: I’m fine here but I am worried for loved ones
Reaction to local/state/federal response to the area: Schools (Year 9 and 12) are reopening. People are returning to work, but masks are to be worn at all times. Temperatures are still taken everywhere. ‘Digital health card’ which uses the record of your location is required to enter some residential or retail complexes. Crowd control (30% capacity) in open-air public places, indoor public venues remain closed.
The measure that drastically changes my personal circumstance is the closing of mainland China’s border for non-citizens which started on March 28th — this means if I was to leave China, I wouldn’t be able to return until this temporary order is lifted.
Day 55: Stay sane, mix up your routine
March 19th, 2020
How the hell did I spend my birthday yesterday working 14 hours?! I swear, I’m working MORE at home now than I did back in the office. After a slow-ish start to resuming work, we are now back to full (or rather, fullER) capacity.
*For those who are just starting working from home, don’t be too sad/happy about being unproductive in the first few days. You and your team will be back in full swing in no time (2–3 weeks for my team). Setting an agenda for each team member is a good place to start.
One of the work agenda I was given is to write about my own experience as a foreigner in China during this epidemic. Since I am located from the epicentre and spared the worst of it, I can only write about what I know: staying sane during a quarantine. Some of you may find this useful so you can read it here.
More stores and restaurants have now reopened. Back in February, the restaurants only took takeaway orders but now a few are serving dine-ins too, however, each group is seated in separate corners of the restaurant and no big dining group is allowed. All retail stores in the malls are open but foot traffic remains incredibly low.
After scouring through the internet to see what’s open other than parks and malls, I find a bookstore in the city centre so that’s agenda for today. It supposedly has 5 floors of book collections, but only 1 floor is open for now. Entering the degentrified precinct (where Muji Hotel and WeWork are also located at) requires me to scan a QR code which connects to my mobile provider as well as writing down my name, mobile number, body temperature and address. This is by far the most strict measure I’ve experienced.
After e-commerce proliferated after 2003 (propelled by SARS), Chinese bookstores pivoted from only selling books to providing spaces that customers want to linger and take photographs in. This bookstore is no different. I spend half of my time there holding my breath at the beautiful interiors and the other half going through a 1000-page photography book on all recorded Chinese historical sites. By the time the store announces its closure at 6 pm (pre-corona, it was 10 pm), I can barely lift up my neck. Too bad none of the Chinese massage parlour has resumed its operation.
One of the positive outcomes of this quarantine is the unprecedented air quality – lately, it’s even comparable to Norway. Since the weather is getting warmer, more people are out enjoying the sun, this unprecedented clean air and the blooms. At the big open square next to my apartment, children whose schools remain shut are out on their rollerblades or skateboards, or playing hockey together (all with masks on).
I’m making time to visit obscure parks that only locals visit since the historically significant ones remain closed for public. It is surprising to discover just how many pockets of greeneries are within this city that I thought was not so habitable. It is even more surprising to discover that no two parks are the same. Despite the large numbers of parks around Beijing, each one has a unique characteristic: there is one with a bamboo forest, another inspired by Italian and French gardens. I even discovered a park with a 700-year-old historical city wall from the Yuan Dynasty (founded by Genghis Khan) that will be full of blooming crabapples next month.
In one of my park wanders, I spoke to a grandpa (the only men I talk to these days are 70 years old and above haha) who spends two hours of his days making his own kite. When I attempted to take photos of him, he showed more enthusiasm about me taking photographs of his kite. Face-to-face interactions are becoming so rare now due to the virus that I get to appreciate moments like these even more than usual.
After getting ahold of Chinese cooking, I now venture to Japanese home-culinary recipes. I made the decision after dining at a recently opened Japanese restaurant which I thought I should support + a break from Chinese meals would’ve been nice, only to be served sashimi that is not fresh. I guess I should’ve ordered something more forgiving – I’m silly to order sashimi in a landlocked city after it’s been closed for months.
*I know I shouldn’t complain about the food at times like this, but similar to how satisfying meals can make my eyes sparkle and remind me of the purpose of living, bad meals can do just the opposite. Hence it is important to set aside at least 1 or 2 special meals a week for you to look forward to during this time of isolation. The anticipation shall keep you motivated.
I purchased some Japanese food supplies on Taobao, which is the equivalent of Amazon in China. The B2C e-commerce platform was conceived by Alibaba during the SARS epidemic when people in China were trying to avoid physical contact with each other.
Since there was a shortage of driver in February, logistics was so slow that people started worrying if the tomatoes they ordered from the countryside would ever arrive. Fortunately, companies are now ‘sharing drivers’. Fast-food chains, restaurants and other leisure companies are lending staffs to e-commerce businesses which are facing a spike in demand for home deliveries, thus giving opportunities to people who would have been out of work for an indefinite period of time, to return to the workforce sooner. On the other side of the coin though, I do question who bears the liability should a driver gets injured on the job.
Granted, the quarantine experience in China is strongly supported by a robust e-commerce ecosystem. Even prior to coronavirus, most people here order everything online which usually arrive within 3 days. During this period, giant e-commerce platforms have lowered the threshold for small businesses to start selling online.
After spending much of February learning Mandarin from karaoke-ing with my housemate (the Chinese music streaming apps come with interactive lyric readers, which helped me with Mandarin reading) and watching Chinese movies (from which I learnt new phrases and vocabs), I came across online class offered by this Beijing-based Chinese tuition centre. Since all schools remain shut, the tuition centres now offer online classes through Zoom. It feels reassuring to some resemblance of a schedule, in this case, twice-weekly Zoom classes on my dining table.
Day 60: Spring with social distancing
March 24th, 2020
Remember the zoo I discovered back in February? It finally reopens today. I tried purchasing tickets online to no avail — one of the disadvantages of being a foreigner here is that buying attraction tickets online often required the national ID card details, which are only entitled to citizens.
Assuming the whole of Beijing would be flocking to the zoo since it’s one of the first sites to be reopened, I hop on a shared-bike and pedal as fast as I can. However, as I arrive, I notice there isn’t even a line. If you haven’t been to major sights in China, know that this is truly a rare treat.
This zoo is a part historical site, being over 100 years old and built towards the very end of Imperial China. Right in the middle of the city of Beijing, I finally get to see pandas up close. The first time I saw some in Chengdu, they were sleeping so soundly at the far end of the enclosure. Here, they move around, knocking on doors asking for more bamboos to feed on.
OK, I have to admit that pandas are cute. To me, this cuteness stems from their awkwardness — they move clumsily since their rear legs are built a little too short for their bodies. This is the one animal in the world that have avoided extinction by simply being cute. Their diet is highly selective – they only eat a specific type of bamboo which is low in calorie meaning they have to eat tons of it – how unsustainable is that?! Not only that, as you probably know, but it is also bloody difficult to get them to mate. And the few times baby pandas do get born, the mothers sometimes ACCIDENTALLY sit on the offsprings and end up killing them (a fact relaid to me by an all-knowing friend)! This species is Darwinism’s biggest flaw.
Apparently prior to coronavirus, you could hire a dog to walk with around the zoo. I put a mental note to sign up for an annual membership as soon as this perk is back (haha). Even though I spend a good 5 hours wandering around the outdoor exhibits (indoor exhibits are closed to the public for now), I only manage to cover half of the zoo’s ground. Saving it for next time.
This week, I also revisited a park I found back in February where I saw mandarin ducks for the first time. Now that the cherry blossoms have started blossoming, the scene at this park is a stark contrast to the greys I witnessed during my last visit. Nature really doesn’t bother waiting for us humans.
My housemates pre-booked the tickets to Yu Yuan Tan cherry blossom park since they could no longer be purchased on the day, due to popular demand. Other popular sites all around Beijing are slowly reopening but require tickets to be purchased in advance. In addition, there is a limited number of people allowed at a certain time to prevent overcrowding. Sure, that means I now cannot spontaneously decide to spend the day at the Summer Palace, but this presents one of those rare opportunities to enjoy Beijing’s top spots with a mere handful of crowd.
As friends outside of China are just starting their quarantine, I now spend a lot more time on video calls. FYI, Cards Against Humanity is always entertaining online or offline. Amongst these friends, a few have started to panic. I worry for friends in New York where cases have not only risen sharply but there also looms a real uncertainty of what happens should they become infected – health care for citizens and foreigners alike, for one. A friend in NYC all said that there was barely anything left in the grocery aisles. When I asked one of them about Amazon, she said all the delivery slots had been booked out. Likewise, someone in London described a similar scene at supermarkets nearby.
Since masks have become near impossible to find for both medical staffs and civilians in New York, I investigated whether sending them was an option. After calling different cargo companies to enquire about any restriction and freight cost, it is clear that air freight has become so expensive lately (due to the limited flights available) that these friends decide they are better off purchasing the masks at an inflated price on eBay. In addition, later on March 31st, Chinese authorities impose an Order to regulate the export of coronavirus medical devices and supplies. This was a follow up on some incidents in which a series of exported masks and testing kits turned out to be faulty or non-compliant with the importing countries’ standards. While it is important to ensure the standard quality of medical PPE, this regulation also means that it is now much more difficult to send masks overseas.
My relatives asked whether I could send a few traditional Chinese medicines used to treat several coronavirus cases, which I found to be available in stores and online (meaning they are not in short supply). However, when I contacted a logistic company that specialized between China and Indonesia which didn’t charge an arm and a leg, I was soon informed that their route was closed for an indefinite period of time. While I have never been worried about my situations in Beijing, I now can’t help worrying about loved ones on the other side of the world.
Day 69: The New Normal
April 2nd, 2020
Good news
China’s domestic coronavirus rate of infection is decreasing. Based on the latest news, the situations in China is improving so much so that Wuhan is ending its quarantine on April 8th. Some schools have opened and prioritised classes for the graduating students of Year 9 and Year 12. More schools are preparing to welcome their students back by disinfecting their campus buildings.
Bad news
There are now over 700 imported cases as of Monday, hence on March 28th, China mainland closed its borders to any foreigners, even those holding valid visa and residence permit. Friends who are supposed to be graduating this July aren’t sure when they’ll be back in Beijing. One of them has asked for my help to pack his belongings as he will end his apartment contract early. It’s unlikely that he will be returning to the city anytime soon.
I’ve seen some people struggle one week into the quarantine. Granted, for most people, this isolation is sudden and unplanned. And this panic may be exacerbated by the limited supplies and the looming uncertainties.
One of the cliches that have kept me positive during my isolation period was to count my blessings. The basic fact that we can be socially distancing from others is a privilege on its own. As of this week, many Indonesians are flocking back to their villages, just around the time when public transport is becoming more and more scarce. A lady managed to make it home to her village, only to be told to return to the city by her neighbours who deemed her a risk. She waited 4 hours before realizing that her bus was never going to come. Similarly (or even more drastically), Indians are embarking on journeys home barefoot, with infants tied to their backs and young children crying in tow as police beat them mercilessly for flouting curfew rules. This scene is absurd in the context of the 21st century but it’s happening. So if you are quarantined in your own space (even with an annoying housemate(s) — unfortunately for some, just like families, you can’t choose your quarantine companion), know that we are one of the few fortunate ones.
For the time being, I don’t have to worry about lay-offs or rent (rent in Beijing are paid 3 months in advance). In contrast, I know business owners are having a tough time choosing whether they should cease production line or lay off their employees. If you don’t have to go through this (or be on the receiving end of a lay-off), remember that again, you are a few of the fortunate ones.
If you are worried about being unproductive, don’t. I started my quarantine completing a 70-episode series, so I think y’all doing fine. I slowly picked up cooking, then got back to writing, then getting ahold of working from home, and finally actually setting time to study Mandarin. This all came in stages, so yes, one thing at a time. Before you know it, you’ll want that downtime back. I know I do, I cry out every time I sit down to study.
Now that I have also started a small business with some friends (remotely), I am actually back to struggling to find time for myself. In fact, having to choose between enjoying a museum virtual tour, playing Trivia on Houseparty app or participating in a Zoom conference, is now giving me more anxiety more than the quarantine did. This is why in periods of isolation, balancing personal and social time is crucial.
In all honesty, I never actually had to spend full 24 hours across 14 days inside my apartment (like my housemate did) but even in my first two weeks back into Beijing, I left the house twice, thrice a week at most, mainly for groceries.
Perhaps the fact that China’s quarantine happened during the dead of winter helped — it’s much more tempting to be Hygge-ing together with everyone in the country when nothing is open. The collective nature of the self-imposed quarantine played a big part — it helped to know that I was not the only one stuck at home, and there was nothing fun outside that I was missing out on since most places were closed.
Logically, the less new infection case we have, the sooner the quarantine will end. So stay at home, especially now that we know that there are more asymptomatic cases than previously assumed. The economist Cass R. Sunstein also concludes that the benefits of aggressive social distancing greatly exceed the cost.
To cope with coronavirus, many businesses and institutions have moved online. It is no longer a surprise that schools and education centres now conduct classes online but even industries that I thought would be difficult to move online have adapted. Museums (like Suzhou Museum) and touristic destinations (even Potala Palace in Tibet) now offer virtual or Livestream tours — and receive revenues from souvenir sales (which can be triple or quadruple their normal sales due to the high number of Livestream audiences). I’m also scrambling to find time to enjoy the online classes and galleries that many institutions are offering!
This week a beautician came to my apartment to give my housemate a little facial. Apparently we can now use an app to order salon/spa services to come to our homes. The services offered don’t stop at facials — they also do haircuts, massages, manicures, eyebrow shaping, waxing even hair laser removal. I guess this is the new normal, for now.
Diary 3 is coming up soon.
This post is part of the series which details my experience as a coronavirus bystander with 2-month 'head start' in China.1. How to Use Up Our Finite Time
10 tips on staying sane during a quarantine2. Humanity vs Coronavirus
Is this really the face of humanity?3. Let’s Get Rational — Freedom Doesn’t Mean Free of Responsibility
Social distancing is a privilege not everyone can affordI hope these stories will show you how parallel our lives can be despite the divide in space and time.
