[Beijing Diary] What Individual Survival Means in the COVID-19 Era

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Having experienced China’s harsh 'Zero-COVID' policy, where PCR tests were taken almost daily and the movements of confirmed cases and close contacts were strictly controlled, I had a question: Why do Chinese people accept and follow these reckless, inconvenient, and unscientific measures without resistance?

After the country effectively shifted to a 'With-COVID' approach, observing people quickly moving to find their own ways to survive led me to one answer: trust. The people showed near-infinite trust in the government, health authorities, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was not only the default value of the socialist ideology but also the easiest and most comforting response.

Three years after the spread of COVID-19, as life has not improved, the people have begun to let go of the once-sacred trust and started seeking their own paths. Some willingly endured discomfort and protested for freedom, while others scooped up medicines and self-test kits despite government warnings. Many still firmly believe in folk remedies like saltwater gargles, and there are quite a few who hoard canned Huangdao and electrolyte drinks. Some remain fearful of the virus and only go out fully armored with face guards and protective suits.

Among these, the most noticeable development is the emergence of COVID-19-related data that substitutes for official government announcements. No one pays attention anymore to the daily morning announcements of confirmed cases by the National Health Commission, which had become a habit. Since December 14, the government decided not to disclose asymptomatic infection numbers, making the already doubted official statistics even less useful.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Portal company Baidu released a 'National Epidemic Index' based on COVID-19-related search volumes. The 'Health Consultation Index,' focused on searches related to symptoms of confirmed cases, reached 28,076,472 on the 18th, up 9.19% from the previous day, while the 'Epidemic Search Index,' centered on searches about COVID-19 prevention, rose 6.95% to 24,913,029. On November 27, when the government-reported confirmed cases peaked at 40,052, these indices were 1,498,393 and 23,785,656 respectively, both lower than on the 18th.

Not only large corporations but also citizen groups have conducted voluntary data analyses. A private organization calling itself the Urban Data Group (城市數據團) focused on search volumes related to 'fever (發燒),' which they judged to correlate with confirmed cases. They suggested that in early December, related search volumes surged to about four times the average in cities like Beijing, Shijiazhuang, and Baoding, indicating an explosive increase in infections. Interestingly, their analysis showed that during the Shanghai lockdown in April, search volumes were only 1.57 times the average, and by November, when the government announced 20 scientific prevention measures, search volumes had already skyrocketed uncontrollably. The implication of the data is clear to anyone: government 'policy failure.'

Chinese society and its people now stand at another turning point in a different sense. Trust what is trustworthy, actively judge solutions if problems arise, and resist when policies and enforcement move irrationally. Although the sudden easing of prevention measures has caused a surge in confirmed cases and widespread distress across China, it is hoped that this will become a vaccine against uncritical trust in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.