How Can China Remedy its Post-Coronavirus Reputation?

I wrote an article that surprisingly got published despite the “sensitive” content it covers

"Foreign Trash"

Aww I feel super welcome in China after reading these :)

A Day Of Mourning

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

(有志者事竟成)

Having just finished three weeks of traveling in Southeast Asia due to the extended Spring Festival holiday, I was eager to return to Beijing to get back into my routine, despite the ongoing fight against COVID-19. My first priority was getting back to the gym.

After unpacking, a quick lunch and a shower, I put on my gym clothes, strapped on my Nikes, and scootered through the quiet streets of Beijing. Upon arriving at my gym, I noticed that the lights were off, and a lock was placed over the double doors. With a heavy heart, I approached and saw a sign that read: “According to the regulations of the relevant departments of Beijing Municipality, to prevent and control the epidemic, all sports business units and public fitness venues are closed.”

Frustrated but eager to find a way to workout, I went home and called multiple gyms around the city. “Sorry, we’re waiting for the notice to re-open” was the common response. So, like many people around China dealing with the epidemic, I did some workouts at home. Pushups, situps, jumping jacks (which I’m sure my downstairs neighbor didn’t appreciate) and stretches. But I knew this wouldn’t suffice over an extended period of time. I needed a better solution. 

Living in the hutongs, my mind immediately thought about the brightly colored (usually blue and yellow) public workout equipment strewn across the city. I visited two before I finally found the holy grail of public workout equipment at Qingnianhu Park, just above the second-ring road.

Greeting the baoan at the gate with a smile under my N95 mask, I asked if there was a fitness area here. He said yes, and I asked if it was sufficient. He shrugged and said, “well, it’s not small.” I had to see for myself. He took my temperature, gave me a thumbs up for wearing shorts, and I made my way into the park. After crossing a bridge and nodding at a number of masked Chinese running past me, I finally saw the brightly colored equipment. Parallel bars, ab machines, pullup bars, monkey bars, a tricep dip machine, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was the greatest outdoor fitness area I had ever seen.

For the past few days, each morning, I’ve gone to the park to workout and what early morning workout isn’t complete without elderly ladies stretching and gossiping with each other. Although we haven’t made it to a first-name basis, they’ve been kind enough to keep an eye on my jacket while I run around the lake and compliment me on my ability to brave the weather in shorts. I spoke with one of the ladies at the park, and she said: “Even though I’m 55, I’m not nervous about the virus. I come here every day to stretch, walk, and talk with my friends.” When asked what she is doing to keep busy, she said: “I cook at home every day! I like to make new dishes.”

I’ve always admired the tenacity and dedication Chinese people have to staying fit. Whether it’s the old ladies dancing together in public squares, or young Chinese going for a run on the streets, people in China are finding positive ways to deal with the current situation. Even despite the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, the park I went to had numerous people running, stretching, working out, or simply taking a walk to enjoy the cold, but beautiful morning.

The ongoing epidemic might have impacted restaurants, local businesses, and offices. However, Chinese people’s optimism still remains, both in the hope of winning the fight against the coronavirus and in continuing to live normal lives despite the changes in the capital. I also spoke with a mother who was exercising with her son, and she said: “It’s safer to stay at home, but it’s important to get out of the house and have some fun.” The boy, who told me his English name was Kevin, said: “I like parks. But now we just need to wear masks to come here.”

Despite the virus, the cold, or the recent snow in the capital, Chinese are still determined to stay fit and stay positive, and its thanks not only to the baoan for doing temperature & mask checks at the gate, but also the government for keeping the parks open. They offer respite from the many hours spent at home and a way for people to stay healthy, even if you have to share a machine with an elderly lady in a puffy down jacket.

6 Weeks of Quarantine

It’s officially been 6 weeks since I landed back in Beijing. Since then, I’ve been working from home and adhering to the city’s mandatory self-quarantine measures. Here’s what it’s been like:

• Some days are good and some are bad. Some days I’ll feel full of anxiety and let the existential dread creep in, wondering how I’m going to make it another hour. Other days, the sun is shining, I go out for a run, and I can get through the day with no negative thoughts.

• The lack of socializing is difficult. Yes, my friends are still in Beijing, but with most bars closed and restaurants enforcing the “2 people per table” rule, as well as residential areas not letting in non-residents, it can be challenging to find somewhere to meet up.

• I’ve found that some days, I lose all interest in any form of entertainment. There’s only so many movies or tv shows to watch, sometimes I can’t focus enough to read, and other days I have zero appetite to write. Other days, I find myself caught up in a good book or catching up on movies I haven’t seen.

• Not knowing when things are going to end is the hardest part, especially since I’m preparing to leave China forever on May 4th. At this point, I have nowhere to go because due to the epidemic, many countries in SE Asia have stopped visas on arrival or closed the country entirely. I’m optimistic that over the next 6 weeks, things will improve and countries will start to open back up, but at the rate things are going, I’m not sure how long my optimism will last. Regardless, I will still leave China in May.

• My gym, along with all the other gyms in the capital, has also been closed for 2 months now. Which is super annoying because gyms in Shanghai are open but because it’s the capital and serves as a representation for the rest of the country, Beijing is being super cautious about everything. I hope they open soon — there’s only so far I can get with working out at home. I’ve lost 3 kg since arriving back in Beijing on February 8th.

Beijing Amid The Coronavirus Epidemic

• Gyms and all fitness centers / sports-related venues are all closed until further notice

• Movie theaters, KTVs, and tourism-related areas within the city are all closed until further notice

• Some bars and restaurants are open, and some do get busy since everyone is itching to get out of their house, but many restaurants are only providing take-out

• Temperature checks are everywhere. Every park you go to, restaurant, residential community -- they all take your temperature with a little temp-gun

• Residents have all been issued a flimsy paper "entry-exit" card with your address written on it. To enter the hutongs, you must present this card, verify that you live at the address, get your temp taken, and then you are allowed in. Tables are set up at these street "checkpoints," and two workers stop you before entering

• Packages are still shipping from online sales, but it's taking much longer than usual

• Everyone seems to be in limbo concerning when things will open back up and when people will go back to the office (most people are working from home). We are all waiting for the official "government notice," which will come based on criteria that no one is sure of. Many are guessing that it will require at least two weeks of no new infections before things start opening back up.

• The virus is the main focus of conversation

• EVERYONE is wearing a mask, and many places require them. If I want to go into a 7-11, I need a mask. Taking a taxi, mandatory mask. Picking up my take-out, mask. Oddly enough, despite the ubiquitous necessity, most places seem to be out of masks.

• Couriers and food deliverymen are no longer allowed to go inside buildings and knock on your door. You must go down to the street to pick stuff up

• Restaurants and residential areas have pesticide-like tanks filled with Dettol or other bacteria-killing sprays, and they regularly spray all the tables, stairs, handrails, doors, and floors

• Working from home seems like the ideal time to travel and work abroad, but many countries have a "if you have been in China within the past two weeks, you are not permitted entry" -- so traveling is out of the question

• Pharmacies now require an ID and other information if you buy cold or fever medicine. They also put a table in the entrance, and you cannot go inside; instead, you tell the lady what you want, and she'll get it for you.

Overall, I think the general feeling after three weeks of quarantine is that people are bored, frustrated that there is no definitive "time" to when things will go back to normal, and still a bit anxious about getting infected. Many people wear surgical gloves out in public along with a mask. When will it end? Who knows... Am I, along with most people in the city, ready to return to normal life in the capital? Absolutely