THREAD ON RETURNING TO BJ: Super spotty vpn, but I’ll try update each piece as I have access. Note that this is post “all returnees from abroad must quarantine at govt facility” as announced at midnight while I was over the pacific. Things could change literally tomorrow. /n
11:20 we land and are told it will take a few minutes for medical procedures to be set up. A scant few planes are here with us, almost all Air China. 
12:15 they turn the in-seat entertainment back on. Not a good sign, but at least can finish watching, “The Help”
12:20 they inform us that we will need to wait about another hour... audible groaning ensues. My book choice seems suitable.
12:20 they inform us that we will need to wait about another hour... audible groaning ensues. My book choice seems suitable.
12:22 they turn off the individual entertainment choices and all screens start playing an outdated “pocket guide” for Beijing... which called the Xinhai Revolution, “a communist revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.”... Beijing is also still a, “city of cyclists.”...
“Gradual liberalization since the 90’s...”
“Some pockets of the old city still exist, like ‘hutong’” ... oh boi
“Some pockets of the old city still exist, like ‘hutong’” ... oh boi
12:40 they ask two people to come to the front f the plane and to bring their things. They call forward other names every couple of minutes.
13:20 we start to properly deplane
13:20 we start to properly deplane
13:30 arrive in line for step one - health declaration form check. Note abundant staff in full gear and good amounts of sanitizer here.
13:45 past that, go through temperature monitoring. Then down to customs, which is no longer divided by PRC and foreign nationality. Note that customs is challenging with masks and microphones distorting everything. They also assumed I didn’t speak Chinese, so I only got a few ?s
14:05 walk through a quick security scan. Next, you arrive at the most confusing point so far. Different arrivals go in two directions based on your flight. You wait for your flight to be called I then go down to baggage claim, and it isn’t well organized or labeled.
I recommend finding a couple of tallish locals from your flight with distinctive clothing, hats, protective gear, then follow them. For example, I followed wolf hat guy, top knot guy, and ski goggle guy.
15:10 our flight gets to line up to go to baggage claim. Our discipline is collapsing as time goes on, and people aren’t putting as much distance between each other.
While I wait, let me expound on the health declaration form. Section four line four is a bit tricky for non-Chinese speakers. The Chinese on the other side has been translated to “community”, but a more appropriate English term would be neighborhood or housing complex...
We don’t have the same administrative divisions, but in terms of size/density think on the smaller side here, like a city block or a suburban Homeowners Association jurisdiction, not so much a borough or township. *not legal advice!
15:40 actually go down and find your bags. Then get in line for a bus to the convention center
17:10 arrive at the convention center for the next step. Get your bags from the truck in front of your bus. Go inside.
17:15 inside, to the left is a general check in to get a document for you and your family. They then have stations for each district in the city, but have a special area for foreigners. Go through the ticket gate things and left, then left again and you’ll see the sign in white.
17:55 finished the check in and hotel selection. You kind of need to assert yourself to get a spot in the foreigner section. If you speak Chinese, go after the Japanese, Russian, or Korean translators if they’re open; the English ones are swamped.
Simple info and a phone check to ensure your number works. Then, you select your hotel. I was only given two choices: 500 and 600 per night. Not sure if hotels will change as some fill, then empty later.
They then connect you with a bus to take you there.
They then connect you with a bus to take you there.
More once I get to the hotel and can charge my phone!!!
Back into it now that I’m finally settled in.
18:50 we assemble bus riders BY NAME based on where they are going. It’s not clear how this is done, but they grouped together northern Chaoyang people and assembled over by this gate, which is straight ahead as you leave the “foreigner” area.
We quickly go past a huge bus stagin area for other districts and (looks like) provinces. Not sure how everyone else organized here, sorry non-Chaoyang folk.
I didn’t arrive at the hotel until 21:40, nearly three hours after we started to leave for the bus... let’s take a step back. At some point, the government decided that if you live alone, you can totally go self quarantine with local 小区 supervision...
Apparently, you need their approval and to connect them with the officials at the exhibition center. Anyone returning to Bj without roommates should pursue this. For folks like me that have roomies, it’s to the hotels.
But first, we needed to drop off nearly everyone not going to our hotel. We drove along all four sides of the Birds Nest, flirted with the Water cube, enjoyed Olympic Park, then skipped down near my flat at 中日 before turning southeast.
Each stop takes 3-5 minutes as they get luggage and then do a handoff with community officials. We seemed to cover a wide region, as the hotel is at the SE corner of Chaoyang Park.
Once at the hotel, you undergo a quick disinfectant spray down and a temperature check that you verify and sign. You then go to check in...
Your form will be so pale that it could be labeled “memories of graphite”, but they have a full scan at the desk, pictured here. Officials said your travel history is the most critical. Make sure to add flight numbers and source + destination, least you look a damned fool.
You also eat this to track your temperature and other changes. You need to write them down at 09:00 and 16:00. Anything changes too much, and you need to contact them. Will be curious to see how they verify.
One more form showing your agreement. Straightforward. What isn’t straightforward is this process, which at every stage seems dedicated to avoiding certainty and taking any responsibility.
I wait and wait and wait in line for four other guests while three people take care of one loud guy that doesn’t speak Chinese handing his phone back and forth between himself and the team as he fights for... something.
Before me is a Chinese American woman who is doing the same, but with her mom and the head guy... she raises hell about several price issues.
When I finally start at 23:00, I am all but pushed by the head guy to find an alternative to the hotel. They clearly prefer clean hands to $. After checkin a few final options, I sort out forms and payments, including some credit to use at the hotel restaurant for room service.
Importantly, I am told that I can order delivery meals, packages, etc. as needed, and they will bring it to my room. This is welcome news after rumors that you had to buy from the hotel exclusively.
By 23:30 I’m in my room, sealed off and worried about my atrium facing window as I tweet and disinfect all of my luggage and gear. I also finally get to wash off the extreme funk that I and others built up over the last several stressful, masked days.
Things to note: A. It took just over 12 hours to go through everything from landing to walking into my hotel room. You could fly from Seattle to Beijing in that time. Hopefully that gets better with fewer returnees and more practice.
B. This is extremely draining. 48 hours of nonstop travel, all with a mask and serious uncertainty and anxiety hanging all over you. Eat, hydrate, team up with people so you can turn off for a minute and let someone else keep watch for when the next phase moves.
C. Bring power packs, you will need to renew your phone, a lot. I had to do my Xiaoping once and my iPod three times. Being a water bottle for your flight attendants to fill up for you, there were basically no services from Taipei to BJ.
D. Speak Chinese, or follow someone kind who does. At almost every stage, I advanced much more quickly with mandarin speaking. Most of these folks don’t have jobs that require much English normally. Even those that should - hotel - don’t. Brush up, and download Pleco...
This isn’t aiming to shame, though I usually would, but it’s important to know that you get much, much better English from random airport staff in Beijing than you will find here today.
E. Be patient. Officials were overwhelmingly professional and gracious, especially with so many rule changes for them to keep up with. They’re doing their best, and while the process is absurdly long, I never felt that the system wasn’t moving me in the right direction
I’ll try to answer more questions in the morning, and elaborate on my hotel situation as well. Good night folks, and stay safe and healthy!
Oh, special shout out to @tianyuf for going through the previous round and giving a stellar example on how to go about this.
Moving to another thread for those curious about the hotel quarantine life.
