Anti-lockdown peaceful mass protests spread all over China as criticism grows over government’s unending “zero-COVID” rule. Thousands of students gathered at their university campuses calling for the end of pandemic “state of exception” with slogans and chants that are meaningful enough to appeal to large parts of Chinese society. Photo: CNN. |
People order takeaway ice-cream as no inside dining at restaurants is allowed in 北京 (Běijīng), China owing to strict COVID-19 preventive measures. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images. |
A woman exercises on the roof of a building at a residential compound amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown as China continues to enforce its zero-COVID policy in 上海 (Shànghǎi). However, plans have been set out for the return of a more normal life from June 1 and the end of a painful COVID-19 lockdown that has lasted more than six weeks, heavily bruising China's economy. Photo: Alex Plavevski/EPA. |
A man drives his bike inside a fenced residential area under COVID-19 lockdown in 北京 (Běijīng), China. (Noel Celis/AFP. |
Due to the recent surge of pandemic alarmism, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said on Friday that the 19th Asian Games, originally scheduled to be held in 杭州 (Hángzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China from September 10 to 25, will be postponed to a later date. Additionally, the 3rd Asian Youth Games, which were scheduled from December 20–28 in 汕头 (Shàntóu), China have been cancelled. |
The sky over 上海 (Shànghǎi) as transcendental metaphor: in a city exhausted by a draconian month-long lockdown, a cat shelters from rain under an umbrella. Photo courtesy of 韓熣燦 (Hán Suīcàn). |
A person in protective suit squeezes through a locked gate of a residential compound in 上海 (Shànghǎi), China. Photo: Andrew Galbraith/Reuters. |
Although being stuck in a dystopian lockdown since March 28, 上海 (Shànghǎi), China’s most cosmopolitan city of 26 million people, keeps hitting new records of cases, thus revealing the dramatic failure of government’s so-called “zero-COVID” strategy. The shortage of food and medical supplies is causing desperation and much suffering for people and animals alike, to whom are denied even the most urgent forms of access to life outside the perimeters of their own cages. Laboratory data and economic evaluations indicate that a “rethink” is called for, but political analysts expect it to be after the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party set for next autumn, and only when 习近平 (Xí Jìnpíng) will be reappointed to another five-year term as President of the People’s Republic of China. Photo: 香港01 (HK01). |
Tommy Fung, Hard to Get, 2020. Photomontage © Tommy Fung/My Surreal Life in 香港 (Hong Kong). |
Strict lockdowns in the Chinese cities of 西安 (Xī’ān) and 禹州 (Yǔzhōu) are taking their toll on the population and healthcare systems, according to residents, with complaints of food shortages and dangerous delays in accessing medical care. [Read more]. |
As 北京 (Běijīng) pursues its solitary path, observers are asking whether the policy is about protecting public health — or social order. [Read more]. |
People queueing for COVID-19 testing in 西安 (Xī’ān), which is under lockdown. Photo: VCG/Getty Images. |
