China

Shanghai residents aged 6 to 11 will be vaccinated against COVID19 beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday October 28. According to the Shanghai COVID19 prevention and control leadership office, children in this age group can book their vaccinations through the health cloud app, or 建康云. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to … Read more

On October 25, 2022, the State Council issued the official China public holidays schedule for 2022 via its Circular of the General Office of the State Council on the Arrangement of Public Holidays in 2022. The holidays schedule is as follows:

As a result of the dual pressures of external import and internal resurgences of COVID19, Beijing will tighten management and control of personnel entering the city during the most critical phase. On Sunday, Changping, Fengtai, and Haidian reported five new infections and one asymptomatic carrier. All six infections are linked to recent COVID19 outbreaks elsewhere. … Read more

Since two tourists from Shanghai were discovered COVID-19 positive on October 16 in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, this wave of COVID19 outbreak has spread to at least ten provinces and municipalities as of Thursday. The virus gene sequencing of the infected patient in Beijing revealed that this wave points to the Delta variant, but the … Read more

According to police, six suspects were arrested in Shanghai on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding people using an Alipay function. The victims lost money due to a connection between their own Alipay accounts and the suspects’ accounts via a function on the app. A woman victim, surnamed Li, reported the fraud to police last month, and … Read more

Vaccine booster shots for fully vaccinated residents are now available in Guangzhou’s Liwan, Haizhu, and Zengcheng districts. Residents who have already received two doses of either the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines and have waited 180 days since their last shot are eligible for the third dose. Foreign nationals who have received two vaccine shots can … Read more

China is facing new challenges after 7 travelers on the same trip tested positive in the city of Xi’an on Oct 16 after local cases had been eliminated for days (including a couple, who were believed to be the first two asymptomatic cases). The fact that they came from Shanghai has complicated matters. In addition, … Read more

Yunnan Province, a well-known travel destination in China, has begun to offer booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to key groups, with tourism workers being the primary target. The measure comes as China accelerates booster shots for key groups in order to further consolidate the nation’s epidemic prevention and control achievements and improve the protective efficacy … Read more

In accordance with the needs of epidemic prevention and control, China Southern Airlines will suspend the transportation of passengers departing from the following 29 countries and transferring to China via a third country from 00:00 GMT+8 on October 15, 2021: Africa: Ghana, Guinea, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Mozambique, Algeria, Uganda, … Read more

Although it is not available in China, Netflix’s global sensation Squid Game has already amassed a massive fan base in the country, with fans circumventing strict internet controls to watch the show and purchasing merchandise such as its unique outfits. However, it is already a hit in cities such as Shanghai, where a crowd gathered on Tuesday at an eatery selling dalgona – the crisp sugar candy featured in one episode – with customers gathering to take photos at its Squid Game-themed sign.  “When I first started watching, people were sending jokes about the show in group chats,” a customer named Li told AFP.  “It’s rather fast-paced and thus quite thrilling,” the series’ video producer said.  After purchasing the candy, Li and his friend filmed their attempt at a show challenge in which contestants attempt to cut shapes from the snack without cracking it.  Squid Game follows a group of society’s most marginalized and indebted members as they are forced to compete in a series of children’s games until all but one participant dies. The “winner” will receive US$38 million.  As the show grew in popularity around the world, China’s nimble manufacturers raced to meet the demand, with products such as the bright pink uniforms and eerie masks worn by anonymous guards appearing on the giant online shopping platform Taobao.  Peng Xiuyang, a vendor, told AFP that demand for Squid Game merchandise had increased his sales by around 30%.  When a customer asked if he sold the masks – a plain black full-faced covering printed with squares, triangles, or circles – he had never heard of the show.  But now, vendors like him, as well as plastics manufacturers in Yiwu’s eastern hub, are scrambling to meet demand from both domestic and international buyers.  “Our customers are those who have seen the series and want to get in on the action,” he added.  With Halloween approaching, the spine-chilling masks have become his most popular item.  ILLICIT DISTRIBUTION Despite the lack of official availability, Chinese audiences have found ways to watch the show, including easily accessible unofficial streaming sites and file-sharing.  The problem of piracy is so widespread that South Korea’s ambassador to China, Jang Ha Sung, recently told a parliamentary audit that he had requested action from Chinese authorities.  “Our assessment is that Squid Game, which is gaining global popularity,” Jang testified remotely from Beijing, “is being illegally distributed on around 60 sites in China.”  As the show’s popularity grows among China’s tech-savvy youth, the hashtag Squid Game has received nearly two billion views on social media, and related topics have been trending for weeks.  Users speculated on how they would complete the challenges featured in the show and imagined what a Chinese version of Squid Game would be like.  “It’s not like it would pass censorship if we made such a show ourselves… if it was too violent, it would just get taken down,” one user said.  For the time being, fans simply want to have a good time.  “I’ve seen (the snack) being sold online, but it’s my first time finding it in real life,” said a customer named Yang from Shanghai.