The Year of The Rat: Expat Life In China Under Lockdown

I have been an expat in China for the past 12 years. Ever since I got a cat, my partner and I have spent every Chinese New Year at our home in Beijing in order to take care of her. Most of our expat friends that might cat-sit are gone during the holidays. The 2-3 weeks of Spring Festival have usually been a time for us to relax, learn something new, and perhaps land on some creative business ideas.

This year though, the Year of The Rat was carrying a plague. Ironically, the sign of the rat symbolizes resilience. The COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Wuhan not only put this city under complete lockdown but the whole world as well.

As one could imagine, expat life in China has taken a turn this year.

We expats who happened to be in China weren’t spared from the lockdown or the strict measures that followed.

It’s still uncertain when this year will feel like it’s actually begun. Though quarantine has officially ended for many of us in China, it is too early to say if expat life in China will get back to normal soon.

The world has entered uncharted waters. Contrary to our initial expectations, this might last for a while.  So we’d better brace ourselves and learn to build resilience during COVID-19.

 

Expat Life In China Under Lockdown: How It Felt to be Quarantined in China

The last time I remember going out for work was January 20th. Soon after that everyone was ordered to quarantine themselves in their apartments. In our community, all the gates were closed except for the west gate. Guards posted outside the gate used laser thermometers to measure the temperature of anyone entering the community.

We also had to show special cards that were issued to each resident in the community. Aside from workers, nonresidents weren’t permitted entry. For example, our maid was allowed to enter, but our foreign friend who came to give us masks was denied entrance. The guards assumed that expats in China only go to their friends’ places to party, and parties were now forbidden.

Apps became available to monitor the daily increase in the numbers of the infected as well as their general location. Masks were hard to find at the beginning of the outbreak, but fortunately, we had some for use on polluted days in China.

We spent the Chinese New Year at home. Valentine’s Day soon followed and was spent in the same fashion.

Our days in lockdown were mainly spent checking the news, working, cooking, and online shopping. Waiting for the delivery person’s call was a chance to go out to the gate and pick our parcel or take away food. On any normal day, they would deliver it straight to our home.

 

The Three Things That Made Expat Life In China Under Lockdown Easier Than In The West: 

Being able to order in food and groceries, do online shopping, and work from home made  life in quarantine much more bearable.

1. Groceries & Food Delivery

Expat life in China under lockdown and extended time in quarantine wouldn’t have been possible without the two delivery platforms Meituan, Eleme, and their drivers. Their nationwide networks of over 700,000 drivers played an important role in helping people meet daily needs while confined at home.  These people risked their lives during the virus outbreak. At times it was through unfavorable weather conditions to deliver food, groceries, and even medicines to those in need. As such, they were the real exemplars of resilience during Covid-19.

Read the story of  Gao ZhiXiao, a delivery driver, and how he helped an old, sick woman left alone during these hard times. 

Restaurants were not allowing customers entry during the quarantine. Though they remained open for take away orders through the Meituan and Ele.me apps. Many provided an option for delivery without a point of contact with the delivery person. Some food packages contained a written notice with the chef’s, service person’s, and delivery rider’s exact temperature at the time of handling to reassure us of our safety.

Because of their efforts, we didn’t have to go out for a prolonged period of time and increase our potential exposure to the virus. In turn, we helped them stay in business in this critical time.

Even  “Haidilao”, favorite hot pot place of many expats was offering delivery service.

We were able to enjoy hot pot in all its deliciousness at home. This really made expat life in China under lockdown much easier to bear. Literally nothing was missing, except for the guy who does the noodle dance at the restaurant.

                                                                 Just Imagine all this at home

                                                                 Except for the noodle dance ….

2. Online Shopping

Thanks to Taobao, toilet paper and other daily necessities were no concern for expats in China during the lockdown. A child brand of corporate giant Alibaba, Taobao has over 600 million users. As such it is the biggest and most convenient online shopping platform in China.

Launched in 2003 during the SARS pandemic, Taobao was born from an emergency. The platform helped millions of people get their daily necessities without risking their lives by going to the shops. This time, during the CoVid19 pandemic, Taobao once again found itself in a familiar situation.

Taobao deliveries usually pause for about two weeks every year during the Chinese New Year.  Despite the viral outbreak coinciding with the end of the holiday this year, it didn’t take too long for Taobao to resume work. As soon as they could ensure their employees’ safety, it was back to business as usual.

Taobao prices are significantly cheaper than its western counterpart, Amazon.com.

Low delivery cost and intuitive user interface design make Taobao light years ahead of its competitor.

Even though the Taobao APP is mainly in Chinese, I don’t find this to be an obstacle to my shopping experience as a foreigner. I love the image search feature. Language can sometimes be an obstacle. But just by uploading a photo of a product similar to what one is looking to buy usually gives a satisfying search result. It is so convenient and easy to use that it has become something of an addiction for me.

In times of pandemic, for us expats in China, Taobao has been the go-to for literally everything. From cooking ingredients, masks, disinfectants, to online entertainment,  Taobao has helped many adapt smoothly throughout the lengthy quarantine. Even throughout the outbreak, we have been able to receive our parcels in 3-4 days.

 

3. Working From Home and the Beginnings of an Online Business

At the beginning, we thought that after the initial 14 days of quarantine we would be able to resume work. We all hoped that 14 days wouldn’t affect much. Fourteen days soon became 21, and then continued being pushed back. It was time to take off our rosy glasses and come up with an alternative plan to resume business.

We work in education, using creative gaming as a means to teach kids soft skills. Fortunately, it didn’t take too much to adapt to a new operating mode. By hosting on Zoom and being able to find instantly downloadable digital versions of work-related resources on Taobao, we were able to continue our workshops online.

Now kids were staying at home and parents were looking to engage them in a variety of classes.

Since Zoom is globally available, it made it possible for kids on different continents to sign up for our courses. We saw an upward spike in new enrollments. Introducing new features and resources made the online workshops quite interactive. Also, parents were very happy with what this class was doing for their child’s learning.

Again, those wouldn’t have been possible without the existence of online shopping and the availability of digital resources.

Expat Life In China Under Lockdown: Building Resilience During COVID-19

After all this time in quarantine, we are proud that we acted so quickly. We found new ways to do old things, adjusted, and showed resilience in the process. Many businesses were forced to close down during these hard times.  Though for some, this pandemic was a cloud with a silver lining that presented an opportunity for those who acted on it.

We’ve realized the importance of having a “laptop business”, and the need to be flexible and act quickly. Whether it’s because of globalization or deadly pandemic, sooner or later everyone will be forced to reinvent their business models. Those who don’t respond to this call will be doomed.

 

Related Reads:

10 New Hobbies to Try from Home During Pandemic

How To Practice the Hygge Lifestyle During Pandemic 

How to Stay Motivated In The Post Pandemic Future

The New Normal: Getting Life In Order After Lockdown

How to Make a Relationship Work When Life Gets in the Way

 

Expat Life In China After The Lockdown

Now after 3 months since the outbreak, many of my friends have been asking if life is back to normal. And I know that everyone expects to hear the “yes”.  Life somehow doesn’t feel normal yet, and I doubt that it will this year.

We do go out, but we always wear masks. Whenever we attempt to enter any venue, we always have to fill in our personal info,  present out health codes, and have our temperatures taken.  We do put down our masks while eating in a restaurant. Though we always have doubts about whether it’s the right thing to be doing at this time and if someone with Covid-19 is lurking around.

 

Where Did You Happen to be During the Lockdown, and How Was Your Expat Life Affected During the COVID-19?

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