Final curtain on Beijing

After five years, our correspondent in the Chinese capital closes her chapter of reporting from there.

THE time has come for me to bid farewell to a city I called home for more than five years.

I was glad that I could finally return and spend time with my family but as the days drew near, the feeling of “I have not seen enough of this place” grew stronger.

I know I would miss the spring season in Beijing when the streets are filled with colours from the peach blossom, sakura, plum blossom and roses, among others.

I would miss eating steamboat in the chilly winter, enjoying shaokao (Chinese satay) and beer on the rooftop garden and cycling in the cool autumn breeze.

At the same time, I am glad that I could finally escape the endless polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and risk being locked down at any time and any where.

(When I left Beijing on Oct 31, the policy for the Covid-19 test was set at once a day in some areas and the rest remained once every three days.)

In May, I returned home for a break and never expected that I would get stuck in Malaysia for over three months after my flight was suspended.

I entered China again and finally got to breathe the fresh air after going through a 10-day hotel quarantine and one week of home quarantine.

On arrival at the airport, I lost count of the number of times I was “sanitised”.

My hands, my baggage, backpack and even passport were all wet.

The hotel staff were all in full protective suit and yet, they were terrified upon seeing us as though we could kill them at a glance.

When I leaned over to a staffer handling the registration, to point out my name on the list instead of spelling it out to a non-English-speaking person, she stepped back and shouted “You cannot cross over!”

During the stay, one hotel assistant was “remote-controlling me” on how to fix the faulty television cable from the doorstep because he could not enter my room.

I also felt bad to see food being thrown away because I did not eat it. The packets of bread, bananas, green apples and even bottles of soya bean all ended up in the medical wastebin outside the door.

When I complained and suggested that they could share it with others instead of throwing away, they said: “We cannot take back anything from you.”

One morning, I opened the door without wearing my mask as I knew the medical staffer was here to perform the PCR test on me.

Upon seeing me, she asked me to wear my mask.

So, I turned back, wore my mask and walked to the door where she requested me to remove the mask for the test.

I guessed that she could not proceed with her list of tasks without having to first say “remove your mask”.

This is the typical “robotic working attitude” of the Chinese who only take orders and follow strictly.

It is frustrating, especially when the person-in-charge tells you “this cannot be done” and is yet unable to offer a solution.

Over the years, I have travelled to all four municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Nanjing), as well as 23 out of 28 provinces and autonomous regions.

Of these places, my favourite is the northwestern region, an important part of the ancient Silk Road, the gateway to the west which is rich in culture and history.

The towns left plenty of room for me to imagine how merchants travelled through the bone-dry vast deserts and survived the harsh conditions on the no man’s land with their entourage of camels loaded with a variety of merchandise.

It was a regret that I could not go to Tibet, which I consider a must-visit place in my life.

Perhaps I would have a chance to step foot on this mysterious land and visit as a tourist.

During my time in China, I witnessed part of the transformation period with the country declaring its victory in eradicating hardcore poverty.

The government might have achieved its target, by statistics, but the figures do not reflect the real scenario.

I visited quite a number of transformed villages with pretty houses and comfortable environments but it was a quiet atmosphere.

Most people had gone to work in the towns and cities.

So, what is the point of development when no one is there to enjoy it?

The government should, in fact, improve the people’s quality of life instead of chasing after figures as it usually does.

There are more things to be dealt with seriously, including the “left behind children” problem, the urban poor, medical welfare and unemployment among fresh graduates.

There is no doubt the Chinese are living a better life as the nation progresses to become the world’s second largest economy but the pandemic has affected this move.

The rigid and illogical zero-Covid policy has greatly affected their livelihood, businesses closed down and people are losing their jobs.

Frustrations are growing among the people with the brave ones protesting on the streets or storming out from their lock-downed vicinity.

There is fear this dissatisfaction towards the government could turn into a major disaster like the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989 if not dealt with properly.

My last assignment in China covering the 20th national congress of the Chinese Communist Party gave me the opportunity to witness Chinese leader Xi Jinping consolidating his power.

I wish the nation all the best and my prayers are always with the Chinese.

Jia you!