If your compound isn’t locked down, you’re one of the lucky ones. Yours truly, on the other hand, is not quite as lucky.

Earlier this week, in the middle of the day, my compound announced that we’d be locked down “for a while”. It’s been two days already and we still haven’t been told how long we’d be stuck at home. But that’s not the point of this post…

As soon as the lockdown was announced, residents were notified in any way they could be reached. A quick call from the community management company to inquire about whether there were elderly residents, pregnant women, anyone who might need special medication, or pets, and the door was officially closed.

So, as I buckle down for an unknown period of time at home, here are a few lockdown essentials that have helped me give me a relatively relaxed time at home.

Noise Cancelling Headphone

Get yourself a pair. With a toddler who’s constantly running around and screaming at home, it gets pretty difficult to concentrate on work. These have really come in handy recently.

Streaming Services

Whether it’s learning how to use iQiyi or Pumpkin Movies, get yourself some good entertainment. A WeChat service called MyPengYou can hook you up with Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO without you having to use an overseas credit card. They speak English and payment is done over WeChat.

To get in touch with MyPengYou, add them on WeChat at MYPENGYOU1

Delivery Apps

Lockdown doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have access to things outside your apartment. In the case of my compound’s lockdown, waimai and kuaidi deliveries are still coming in. So to make it easy on your stress level, learn to use the delivery apps so you can get all your favorite foods and essentials.

Recipe Blogs

I’ve been finding myself cooking more than ever. And why not? I’ve got plenty of time on my hands. Why not take advantage of it and attempt all the recipes I’ve always wanted to but didn’t have time to. My personal favorites are www.tastesbetterfromscratch.com and www.recipetineats.com where food blogger Nagi shares a ton of simple recipes that are easy to follow. Most of them have videos.

Workout Videos

To counter all that newly found love for cooking, find a few workout gurus with videos you love. Beijing’s very own Diva has classes on KEEP and also has plenty of workout videos along with inspirational videos on her WeChat Channel. Find her channel by searching FitnessWithDiva.

Diva’s also got free workout sessions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. Scan the QR code to add her on WeChat so she can tell you how to join.

If you’ve got a spinning bike at home, YouTube channel GCN Training makes amazing spinning classes for every level.

Stay Informed

Finally, don’t get caught up in the rumor mill. To keep yourself well informed, join one of the Safe & Sane groups where you’ll get fact-checked Covid-related information on the situation in Beijing. And for your own compound, be sure to join a WeChat group that’s started by the management company where you’ll be able to see the official decisions relating to your compound firsthand instead of hearing from a neighbor.

Add TBJButler and request to join a Safe & Sane group.

Images: Diva, Mina Yan, Pexels

I know, I know, Covid restrictions are the worst… or are they?

Don’t hate me, but as an introvert I’ve actually been enjoying the time at home! Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be out and about, enjoying the summer vibes. But since we don’t have much of a chance of doing that at the moment, why not make the most of the situation?

Aside from enjoying time with our little girl, my husband and I have been spending more time together than we have in a long time – in the best way possible.

The last time we spend all day, every day together might have been when we went on our last vacation back in the U.S., over three years ago …  Now, we find ourselves huddled around the kitchen table together, working, scheduling workout sessions and going for strolls together, watching movies again, and, when our daughter is down for a nap or goes to bed early, planning at-home date nights with deliveries from our favorite restaurants.

It would be a complete lie if I said the lockdown restrictions haven’t put a strain on marriages. But, at the same time, they have also also reminded me of why I love my husband and why I married my best friend.

Check out a few of the restaurant delivery deals that have added an extra special touch to our date nights. Click here for more options around town.

From Trio Wine Bar:

Founded by friends who truly love wine, Trio now delivers both wines and food. They’ve got a great mix of small bites and spicy Sichuan dishes that’ll get your mouth watering in seconds. My absolute favorites are their hummus (RMB 48), which has a distinct Beijing umami flavor to it, and their pumpkin kale couscous (RMB 48), which has got nice bites of sweet surprises from the raisins.

To order from Trio, scan the QR codes in the menus below. Best of all, all my personal favorites are currently 20% off!

From Jing-A:

So many restaurants are doing rotisserie chicken now. And why not? They’re easy to prepare, they travel well, and they almost always taste delicious. But that’s just it: They’re so easy! A short 2(ish) hours in the oven and I can make my own delicious chicken for half the price. But we’re not here to talk about their chicken. Jing-A has a delicious London pub pie set (RMB 380) that’s perfect for a casual date night at home.

The set comes with two English-style pies (chicken & leek and beef & ale) along with sides of coleslaw, broccolini, and fries. It also comes with four cans Jing-A beers (or soft drinks if you don’t want beer). If four isn’t enough, they give you the option to add four additional cans for RMB 80.

From Q Mex:

Q Mex not only delivers the food on their menu, but they’ve also got margaritas and mojitos (RMB 25) on the delivery menu as well – including their signature slushy margaritas (RMB 25) that travel surprisingly well!

A portion of chicken wings and drum sticks (RMB 68), salad (RMB 58), trio of tacos (RMB 72), classic Q Mex burger (RMB 78), and chips and guac (RMB 58), and its the perfect combo for a double date night feast with friends.

For more food delivery options in Beijing, check out the list below:

Images: Mina Yan, Trio Wine Bar, Pexels

The day after she gave birth, Gemmicah Argonza got the call.

“Did you go to the 7-11 in the basement China World on April 28?” The voice on the line said, “A positive COVID case was found there.”

Her mind raced: Was she there on the 28th? Would she have to go to central quarantine? What about her husband? What would happen to her daughter? Would they take her too?

It’s the call no one wants to get, much less if they’ve literally just had a baby.

In a way, they were prepared for the worst.

A Philippine native, Argonza ran the only Filipino restaurant in the city, Mesa Madre, located in Jianwai Soho. Her husband, Clifford Weiner, was General Manager of Hotel Jen. Both of them were smack in the middle of the Central Business District – an area that would soon be swept up in the citywide COVID lockdown.

Before lockdown: Argonza enjoying Mesa Madre’s Halo-Halo, a Filipino desert

From mid-April, both Argonza and Weiner watched with trepidation as the cases in Beijing grew at a worrying pace, and communities in Panjiayuan, Shuangjing, and Jinsong – just a mile south of them – were closed off one after another.

“We had seen what happened in Shanghai, and we worried it would happen here,” Argonza recalls. News of quarantine shelter conditions, parents being separated from children, and lack of access to supplies were everywhere.

As she was due on April 28, they stocked up on a month’s worth of supplies. “I kept saying, ‘C’mon baby, come out already,’” Argonza recounts. “The last thing I wanted was to give birth in the middle of a lockdown.”

Argonza’s stock of baby supplies

The couple also decided to pack up and move into Hotel Jen. “Communities get locked down in the middle of the night without any warning, but as Hotel Jen’s General Manager, Cliff knew he would have some notice if the hotel was going to lockdown,” Argonza says. “So there could be a chance for us to make a decision to go to the hospital if that happened.”

Fortunately for the couple, it never came to that. On May 5, seven days after she was due, the contractions started. Argonza and Weiner rushed to the hospital, and, in the early hours of May 6, Allegra Weiner was born.

The day after giving birth, Argonza was discharged from the hospital. Things had gone smoothly, and Argonza felt good.

But as soon as the couple arrived home, the call from the CDC came.

“In the first phone call, it was almost as if they weren’t sure if I was at the 7-11,” she recalls. Six phone conversations later, the CDC finally confirmed that there was a payment linked to her at 2:45pm on April 28. The positive case was estimated to have visited the same 7-11 between 1-2pm that day. The timeframe was too close. This made Argonza a close contact – she and Weiner had to quarantine.

“I tried explaining that I’d taken COVID tests every day since the 28th, and that they were all negative” she says. “But it didn’t matter.”

At some point in the back and forth calls, Weiner told the CDC that Argonza had just given birth. “It seemed they didn’t expect this,” she recalls. A few hours later, a bit of good news came: they would only be required to do home quarantine.

Did her recent childbirth affect her quarantine requirements? “I don’t know, honestly,” Argonza says. “I was just really relieved to hear that.”

A CDC team came to install the alarm on their door, and set up a WeChat group that included the couple, a colleague who served as translator, and multiple people from what Argonza assumed was the CDC’s team. They were given instructions for deliveries, trash disposal, and doing both the CDC administered COVID tests as well as the COVID home-testing kits.

One of the challenges the couple faced was getting Allegra to her first two check-ups, which were within the first two weeks after birth.

Because Argonza’s health code was yellow, she had to navigate getting permission from both the hospital and their CDC handlers to make it happen.

“BJU knew what to do,” she says. “They would receive me not in pediatrics but in their fever clinic, and the doctor would be sent based on their internal protocols,” With the CDC, on the other hand, they had to negotiate the terms for traveling. “They finally agreed to have me take Allegra alone in a car, with a driver dressed in full PPE.”

“While it’s frustrating to be locked down, at least my husband is able to spend more time with our daughter,” Argonza muses. “It’s a good that’s come out of this whole situation, and I’m happy for it.”

Looking forward, the couple are most pained at how travel restrictions will prevent them from having Allegra meet their families. “I’m the eldest, so seeing my daughter would mean a lot to my parents,” Argonza says. “But we can’t do that for now.”

Asked if this might be an impetus for them to leave for good, as many expats have done, she responds, “When I’m frustrated in the moment, sometimes I do want to pack up and leave.”

“But at the same time, I love Beijing,” she says. “And my life, my business and my community are here. And I think Beijing is a good place for a child to grow up, especially in her early years. It’s a good place for our family to be.”

KEEP READING: What If I Go Into Labor During Lockdown?

Images: Courtesy of Gemmicah Argonza

With the lockdowns in Shanghai, quite a number of people here in Beijing have started stocking up on food and daily supplies, in case we go into lockdown here. But for expecting mothers and their families, there’s a much more pressing concern than how much toilet paper and instant noodles to store at home.

“What if I go into labor and my compound is locked down?”

According to Oasis International Hospital, there are procedures in place specifically for this. However, they’d like to stress that these procedures might be specific to Oasis International Hospital. If you’re delivering at another hospital, it’s best to contact them immediately and have a backup plan in place just in case.

Oasis has the following plan in place for their patients:
1. Call the Oasis maternity ward at 13810688466 or speak to your Account Representative.
2. Pregnant moms will need to confirm that they don’t have any of these 11 symptoms: fever, dry cough, fatigue, loss of smell or taste, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, conjunctivitis, myalgia, and diarrhea.
3. If a mother doesn’t have any of the 11 symptoms, she will ask her 社区居委会 (shè qū jū wěi huì) to call 120 (the number for an ambulance) and take her to Oasis.
4. If she does have fever or any of the 11 symptoms, she will also need to talk with the 社区居委会 to call 120 and go to Civil Aviation General Hospital (航空总院 háng kōng zong yuàn) for medical assistance.

Currently, one person is allowed to accompany the mother during delivery, but it’s best to check with the specific hospital where you’ll be delivering for that hospital’s rules and regulations, as they might be different than those of Oasis.

Images: Pexels

Over the past year and a half, staying at home has become commonplace for people all around the globe. And while many of us have found Covid lockdowns both exhausting and boring, one thing the whole ordeal has left us with is plenty of time to carefully plan what we’ll do when life gets back to normal.

So, to help you prepare for life after Covid, here are four things you can do to ensure that you enter a much brighter future.

Start new hobbies

One of the best ways to truly appreciate your time at home is to find a new hobby or dive deeper into one you already have. Whether you enjoy music, writing, sports, or something else entirely, there are numerous ways you can spend time engaging in those activities behind closed doors. Personally, I can attest to the fact that having nothing to do is in fact the best time to learn and develop new skills that will help you in the future.

Meet new communities and people

Thanks to the internet, meeting new people has never been easier, and my generation knows better than any that building a tight-knit community doesn’t start and end in the “real world.” Online penpals are a fact of life for today’s teens, and given that kids across the globe are stuck inside, there’s no better time to strike up an online friendship than now. Through the use of social media platforms such as WeChat, meeting new people is as simple as pressing three buttons and starting a conversation. And the best part is that as soon as the pandemic is largely under control, there’s nothing preventing you from meeting up with all of the people you’ve befriended online.

Look for new places to visit

Many teens today spend most of their time on their phones and computers, rarely going outside unless they are supposed to meet with friends or family. Because of this, newer generations don’t spend as much time learning about their local environment and often feel as though they’re living in a completely unknown location. Fortunately, the current circumstances have given everyone the perfect opportunity to open up some maps online, or even just look outside their window and familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

Look for new things to do in the future

As most people want to stay home following the mild resurgence of Covid cases in Beijing, not to mention school is starting soon, now is a perfect time to make plans for the future. One thing I would suggest is creating a detailed list of new experiences you want to try before next summer arrives and all the things you want to achieve between now and then.

Whether you want to visit a location here in Beijing, get better at something that interests you, or make long-term goals, being stuck at home affords you the opportunity to take a breath, and figure out what you really want to do. All it takes is a little creativity, and your stay-at-home can become more fun and productive than you ever would’ve imagined.

KEEP READING: Online Learning in a Lockdown

Images: Unsplash

Last year at this time, we were a little blindsided by the concept of not just e-learning, but also many parents and caregivers working from home while schooling their kids. Even though I’ve worked from home with kids since they were born, it was a difficult transition to also merge something as important as their education into the mix.

I already outlined some ideas to create good spaces for both learning and working from home, but how do you talk to your boss about it? This myth exists that people won’t work as much or as well if they aren’t sitting in an office and under supervision. It’s a hard mindset to talk yourself or your colleagues out of. Almost no matter where you are from in the world, we’re taught that work happens in an office, or a designated place.

The other side of this myth is that If someone works from home, they’re in their pajamas all day and lazily taking calls or answering emails, Some days are like that, very few days – but most days revolve around your calendar and other people’s schedules. If you aren’t used to working from home and are thrust (back) into it, it may feel too unstructured for your tastes, too.

So how can you communicate with co-workers and your boss to ensure that expectations are set in a realistic manner while not sacrificing quality or standards? And also not feel like the worst parent ever for shushing them all the time?

My work history lends itself well to working a flexible schedule, since it’s deadline-oriented and not necessarily tied to definitive times of the day. Not every job works like that, however, and you need to have strong control of your time to understand how to make it work. Here are some tips for communicating with your boss and colleagues if you do need to work with your kids at home for any reason in the near future.

Over Communicate

The major downside to working from home is that you can’t communicate as well non verbally as you can in person. And you can’t see how well people are processing what you’re saying. So even if an email is normally enough notice for a quick meeting, maybe send a WeChat reminder as well.

Don’t Take Things Personally

Along with the above, if we return to the everyone at home lifestyle, then everyone will be stressed and going through the same issues that you are. So a little snippiness in your boss’s voice may be directed more towards their teenager than you, and an exasperated sigh could be about their toddler regressing in potty training and not your latest report. Most people are completely different at work than they are at home, and it’s hard to reconcile the two. So give everyone a little break, including yourself.

Be Clear About Time Limitations

When I work with my kids, I plan for every task to take 2-3 times as long as it “should.” If e-learning is in the mix, I tend to wake up at the same time as a normal day, work 6-8am, get them breakfast before starting school, and can’t really have a clear head for anything else until around 10am at the earliest. Rather than try to squeeze a 9.30am meeting in there, I’d simply ask if we can push it to 10.15am, giving me a buffer window as well. If you are clear about why certain times are needed and ask politely but clearly, many times it isn’t a problem to switch a start time. And if it is, your partner needs to adjust their schedule when possible.

Prioritize a Communications Channel

Sometimes I love WeChat, but too often tasks get lost amidst the memes and important communications fall away. If you need to filter communications with your boss so you don’t lose anything, sticky them to the top of your WeChat or request that the colleague who sends you twenty WeChats a day just collect it all into a daily email, twice a day if absolutely necessary.

Don’t Apologize More Often Than Normal

If you’re at your desk and something hasn’t been finished yet, your boss can see that you’ve been working. Just because they can’t see your laptop’s activity or hear your typing doesn’t mean they need to know all the different reasons why something hasn’t gotten finished yet. Our tendency when working from home can sometimes be to over apologize in order to show we are aware of what we aren’t getting done, but if you bring too much attention to it, then your boss might start to wonder why you’re apologizing so much. And then you’re in trouble.

When You’re Unavailable, Don’t Try to Work

Let me tell you something that most “how to” lists won’t: multitasking is a myth. Project management is one thing, trying to do too much at once is something people made up in order to force productivity. So If you’re coaching your preschooler through storytime, place your phone face down. If you’re listening to their Social Studies class so you understand the homework later, put your laptop screen to sleep. Most bosses don’t expect an answer immediately or you’re fired, so those twenty minutes aren’t a make or break for your job.

If There’s Conflict or Questions About Your Productivity, Face it Head-on

Don’t wait for issues to bubble over before you address them. Again, we’re at the disadvantage of no body language, even with video chats, so there’s no harm in checking in more often. Not sure if you’re on track: Send a list of priorities at the beginning of the day so you don’t get to the end and your boss asks, “Where is this?” Make sure if only one thing gets done in a day, it’s what your team needs the most.

No one wants to return to last winter, and we’d most likely be in it for a shorter time this year. But we must communicate openly with the team and understand that even if we aren’t doing a 8am-5pm schedule, we all still want the work to be its best.

KEEP READING: Do You Have a Bug in Bag? Be Prepared for Anything

Photos: Canva

Having lived in earthquake territory, then hurricane territory, and overseas in general, our family has always had a “bug out bag” at the ready. This is a sturdy bag that holds some essentials for living in any viable situation for 72 hours: first aid, change of socks, bottled water, basic nonperishable snacks, flashlight, changes of clothes, copies of passports/important documents, cell phone chargers, basic tool kit, camping bowls, and utensils — you get the idea.

From the M*A*S*H episode “Bug Out”

Even though the worst we’ve ever come to needing it was during Hurricane Irma in 2017, it’s stayed as a staple of our lives. The hardest part about a bug out bag is keeping clothes for our kids inside that fit them as the months pass.

That’s why as news trickled into the Safe & Sane in Beijing groups about various compounds in Shunyi going into a three-day lockdown, and in some cases not being able to get food delivery, I started to think of starting a “Bug in bag,” just to be safe.

What is a bug in bag, do you ask? It’s everything nonperishable you would need in the event a Covid-19 infection is found in your compound, with a neighbor, or anywhere else you’ve been, and you find yourself having to stay at home for three days minimum until everyone is tested.

Oh yeah, with your kids and doing e-learning as well. And you and/or a partner might be working from home, too. You know, the usual.

This venture is less of a “bag” and more of a “shelf on the pantry we don’t use unless needed.” Here are some thoughts on what to include, just in case:

• Oatmeal
• Snack bars
• Raisins
• Powdered milk
• Coffee beans
• Teabags
• Frozen fruit
• Frozen veggies
• Pasta and favorite sauces
• Ingredients for cookies
• medicine

It isn’t only about food though. If we retreat back to staying at home in order to tamp down any incoming infections, how can we keep the kiddos involved in enriching activities in between video game binges and e-learning? Last week, I wrote about how to prepare your home for both working and learning at home, but is there any way to stock up on inexpensive activities to keep it interesting for the kids — and you — at home together.

Some ideas that might need a Taobao “trip”:

• art paper on a roll so they can create a mural
• a new board game to teach them
• a new card game like UNO, or a regular deck of cards
• a new puzzle
• dry erase activity books
• books about travel or places outside of Beijing
• jump rope or another physical activity for them to master
• magic tricks to learn
• modeling clay
• a new LEGO set
• whiteboard for daily schedules

If your district is locked down for any amount of time, be prepared. Just like the pantry shelf, the above activities will need their own hidden shelf in a closet or stored in a box, so that you can dole them out as needed. Just take some time for thoughtful stocking up and the short time you need to stay home won’t feel nearly as bad. And if you have friends in Shunyi, maybe see if they need any help getting this to their compound.

KEEP READING: Updates: The Latest in Beijing Family News

Photos: Pexels

Living in China during the outbreak of the Coronavirus isn’t as scary as most people think it is. At least not for me, in the safe bubble that is the outskirts of Beijing, away from the epicenter of the epidemic. The district of Shunyi has come to a standstill. Hardly anyone dares to venture beyond the relative safety of their homes. On the rare occasion when they do, it’s a brisk walk straight to the local supermarket and back. Heads down, hands in pockets, masks on, keep your distance. No one even makes eye contact anymore.

It’s certainly not what I expected when I got on the flight back to Beijing, back from my Lunar year holiday. I was expecting bustling streets, city lights, and crowded shops, maybe a splattering of face masks, but that was all. Instead I was met with banners upon banners of bold white lettering, instructing residents to wash their hands, wear masks, and stop touching their faces. There were also messages of encouragement, of support, informing the public that early detection leads to early recovery. Most importantly, that those who leave their fevers unreported are class enemies.

But we all knew that anyway.

—–

Each morning, you rise just a few minutes before school starts and make your way to your desk to start your day of online learning. It’s a tedious cycle of awkward voice calls, rushed assignments, and constant distractions. There isn’t much motivation to finish your PowerPoint slide when there’s no one to notice if you happen to accidentally click on a YouTube video.

This absence of accountability is what eventually leads to a mountain of unfinished tasks that you can’t be bothered to complete. Instead, you text your friends about how much work teachers are setting and how you can’t possibly finish all of it. But then you remember that your friends are all in different time zones and are probably asleep, so you attempt a set of futile tasks that you don’t really have any interest in completing. You end up with an array of mediocre work which you have no choice but to turn in.

—–

Even during this exceptional time, it doesn’t feel like things have really changed. Daily life just feels more tangible and more mundane, at the same time. It’s like my routine has been stripped of its bells and whistles, leaving it bare. Just the essentials remain. Sleep. Eat. Work. Repeat. Life starts to feel more like a chore – it gets repetitive, then wearisome, and then suffocating.

I go on walks every day under the guise of daily exercise just to leave the house. At first, just around the compound, strolling in the lanes that have become all too familiar. The houses pass by me, one by one, as I walk up and down the main street, desperately wishing for a change of scenery. Through walking the same route time and time again, I have come to recognize the most trivial details. The carelessly strewn bike that gathers dust in a garage, the gradual wilting of neglected plants, the buildup of snow around certain doorways, devoid of the distinct marking of footsteps.

My compound alone is full of the inconspicuous signs of seclusion. The usual morning bustle of children running to the bus stop is replaced with an eerie silence, punctuated by the occasional rustling of the wind. I’m not used to it. It feels foreign, unfamiliar, slightly disturbing.

In the end, I get bored with my customary walks, and decide to leave the hypothetical comfort of my compound. I venture out a little beyond the gates, into what was once a lively area. I immediately notice the absence of cars on the road. There’s an occasional tuk-tuk, but nothing else. I notice a woman walking towards me, and immediately tense up without reason, dreading even the smallest interaction. She promptly crosses the street upon spotting me.

This simple but indicative action shakes me up a bit, but I continue on, trying to ignore the cold that is now making its way up my calf. The rest of the walk is relatively uneventful, and I come home disappointed. Nevertheless, I set out again the next day, and then the day after that, determined to bring some excitement into my life. Every single time I return disappointed. It seems that nothing is enough to change up my monotonous routine.

—–

Soon enough, I start to dread my walk. It has now become another box on my imaginary to-do list, on par with completing assignments and taking the garbage out. It seems to me that under these circumstances, everything I do will become tiresome. My attention span has become shorter than ever and lately, I feel as if nothing excites me. The consequences of a two- (now spilling into three- and maybe four-) week quarantine are larger than I could have imagined. It’s not just the physical costs of almost no movement. For me, the quarantine feels almost internal. It’s two weeks with no contact from anyone else apart from my immediate family.

Usually, school days are filled with laughter from friends, sighs during lessons that you can’t be bothered to concentrate in, and mind-numbing lectures from teachers. Sometimes, it can all be too much. When I first heard about school being canceled, I was overjoyed. I had pictured a relaxed week or so in the comfort of my home, pleased to be away from the constant stress and uncertainty that school brought. Instead, I was faced with a sense of isolation and bleakness. The current situation feels quite hopeless, and I can only wish that circumstances will be better in the near future.

Otherwise, these emotions may become the new normal.

Sharanya Trivedi is a year 10 student from Dulwich College Beijing. Originally from India, she has lived in several countries across the world and has been in Beijing since 2017. An avid reader and debater, she is a devoted fan of the k-pop band BTS.

Photos: lovethispic.com, Courtesy of Sharanya Trivedi

Fall is just around the corner and with fall comes the highly anticipated Golden Week, which begins with China’s National Day on October 1 and continues for the rest of the working week.

While most of us are usually out of town during this time anyway, this year we have some added incentive to get out and seek adventure. The week-long holiday also happens to coincide with the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

Before you consume yourself with excitement for our host country, this holiday also means that much of the capital will be on lockdown as the city prepares for a series of events to celebrate this momentous occasion. The most notable of these is a massive military parade down Chang’an Jie on Oct 1. This event usually results in roads, subways, and many businesses around the city being closed not only on the day of the parade, but periodically in the weeks leading up to it for rehearsals.

So, unless you don’t mind sitting indoors for a majority of the week, then it’s probably best to start planning your escape now. This can be somewhere else in Asia (Bali sounds delightful!), any other city in China, or even back home to visit the fam. But don’t stay here expecting to carry on with your regular day-to-day routine or knock out some items on your Beijing bucket list.

For the last major military parade marking the 70th Anniversary of the War of Aggression Victory Day, there were road restrictions, numerous restrictions on various modes of transport and license plates, and forced closures of bars and restaurants around the city. More info can be found out about that here.

While we can’t confirm if the situation will be the same as we experienced back in Aug-Sep, 2015, steps are already being made to get the capital parade-ready. These efforts will only be made more visible in the weeks to come. So, brace yourselves for impact, and start making travel plans now.

Photo: Wikimedia