Daily Practice (6 in 1)
Original post link: https://www.notion.so/daily-practice-d194d0ef870f432095e69c026a99fd81
Intention & Form of Daily Practice
My research direction for the final project is the Chinese quarantine policy for residents during this current Covid pandemic. I decided to use the diary as my practice form, which records topic-related conversations that happened on that day and research conducted afterward.
Diary1. 10/21/2022.
We went for a dinner hotpot today after a dance competition we all participated in.
There was this guy my friend Chris brought with us, we call him Guazi (which translates to sunflower seeds). He is from Taiwan and came to the mainland on February 2020 for a work opportunity and stayed ever since. He is a very passionate guy and actively engages in telling us about his “adventures” in Shanghai.
Guazi was introduced by a creative agency and was asked to come to Shanghai to work for a commercial production company at the beginning of 2020, the beginning year of the virus breakout. The agency kindly asked him to come on board on the exact date of 02/18/2020. So he did, arriving with his Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents and luggage. Everything went on well at the beginning, he was picked up by the department‘s colleagues and went straight to the short-term leased apartment the company got for him. Their taxi approached (it was an older residential area so no security guard nor objective entrance was placed for the buildings) and neighbors noticed the luggage.
Some older neighbors approached them and asked “I’ve never seen you around before, are you moving in? ”
Guazi’s colleague took the question and said “Our company had some apartments here for a long time, we just re-locating our colleagues from other areas. ”
”So he is moving in. He can’t move in, our area is not taking newcomers. We are under special time.” The neighbor responds.
”It was 8 pm.” Guazi said “And it was cold. All I’m thinking is let me get my luggage in and let’s talk about this tomorrow…”
The battle ended with his female colleague arguing into tears and Guazi was relocated to a hotel nearby. The community committee people didn’t show up because they weren’t in the office.
Some research afterward:
1/ Starting from February 6, 2020, China (including Hong Kong, and Macau) is to be listed as Level 2 Area or above; Chinese residents are to be prohibited from entering Taiwan. (Taiwan Center for Disease Control)
On October 13, Taiwan lifted all its COVID-19 entry restrictions, allowing tourists unfettered access to the self-ruled island after more than 2 1/2 years of border controls.
2/ January 31, 2020, National Immigration Administration posted: “The exit and entry administration departments of the public security organs are operating normally at the port. Taiwan residents who have not completed the 5-year Mainland Travel Permit in advance due to emergencies may apply to the port visa agency for a single entry valid for Taiwan after arriving at the port a Mainland Travel Permit Card, which is valid for 3 months when entering and leaving the mainland and staying or residing in the mainland.”
Diary2. 10/22/2022
Had a conversation today with friends about mask mandates, and I couldn’t help but recall Texas in 2021 when governor Greg Abbott decided to lift the statewide face mask mandate. We suggested the political attention the action draws and irrelevance concerning the removal of the mandate on public health, though we don’t know much about the power structure between parties in the states. So I did look up some of the relevant information afterward.
1/ CDC’s January 29, 2021 Order requiring masks on public transportation conveyances and at transportation hubs.
2/ On MARCH 2, 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott announced his decision to lift the statewide face mask mandate next week. In addition to lifting the mask mandate next week, Abbott will allow businesses to operate at full capacity. Texas’ local officials blast Gov. Greg Abbott for “irresponsible action” of lifting coronavirus restrictions, saying it contradicts health official’s advice as infections continue to spread throughout the state, which averaged over 200 reported deaths a day over the last week.
3/ As a result of a court order, as of April 18, 2022, CDC will not enforce the Order. CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time.
Diary3. 10/23/2022
中国出行政策 德国欧洲美国等,对于中国大陆居民,对等原则(reciprocity)的入境限令
In order to participate in the third semester of the graduate program in German, as a Chinese citizen, I am required to obtain a Schengen visa. I have resided back in mainland China and ever since then, I became aware of practicing travel restrictions’ effects on individuals. Based on the principle of reciprocity, many nations no longer provide travel visas for Chinese citizens and only take visa appointment for people who has a study, job offer, or for family visiting purposes. So after sending out the appointment application to German Embassy in Beijing, I looked up online what is the “principle of reciprocity” and how it is applied.
1/ What is “reciprocity”?
“Reciprocity relates to relationships in which people or states support each other for a particular shorter long-term advantage. This is enshrined in the principles of the International Law Commission (ILC), which recognizes that when one state benefits from a right, others must share the same right. ”
Fard, Shahrad Nasrolahi. Reciprocity in International Law: Its Impact and Function, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015.ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nyulibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4218118.
2/ How does the principle takes effect?
“As for enforcement, the ICJ is empowered by the UN Charter 22 to hear disputes between states, but only when both parties have agreed to accept the jurisdiction of the Court. Further, the ICJ cannot ensure that its judgments are obeyed. 23 In cases of noncompliance, the responsibility for responsive action falls to other states.”
Diary4. 10/24/2022
// Website that forges health code
My friend came across a website and thought it was related to my topic, so he shared the link for me to check out.
The website has a title written “Ilovexjp”. “xjp”, the acronym for current president of the Republic of China, with initials taken from his first and last name. The title is used sarcastically rather than out of respect and appreciation and the reason for that is related to the website’s functionality. The website itself allows visitors (do not require registration) to generate live “heath QR codes” that are specialized and mandated in every province of China mainland for each individual.
Some side notes for people who have no context about “heath QR codes”, the code monitoring system has been deployed in China since early 2020. It was designed for the purpose of monitoring individual geographical itineraries in order to get the spread of covid virus under control. Not too long after the first deployment, the monitoring system added a new feature to cover covid test results and automatically calculate interval time between covid test results, collectively national-wide. The system has been implied through Wechat apps, an indispensable chatting app for people lives in China (It includes online payment methods, social posting, and all sorts of personal and social functionalities. You can think of Wechat as a virtual phone installed within smartphones)
Beyond using the code as proof of “covid negative”, the code is also used as a form of “passport” that define whether the code owner can or can not enter/exit a province/city, a building, and even their own place. The QR is color coded and individuals would always want to keep it green rather than yellow or red.
The critical aspect of this website is that it forges the health code perfectly. By selecting the province format and giving the user’s name, the website creates the perfect green code in no time!
I have not used the “forged” green code in public space yet because I was worried about getting in trouble. Far as I know, forging or intentionally hiding one’s own geographical itinerary these days is regarded as committing a crime in China nowadays.
Some research afterward:
Concealing one’s true health status, itinerary, and travel trajectory may be punished by public security organs in accordance with the “Public Security Administration Punishment Law”, a warning, a fine of less than 500 yuan, and detention for 5-10 days. If it causes the spread of the epidemic or there is a serious risk of spread, it will also hinder the spread of the epidemic in accordance with the “Criminal Law”. –https://www.tj.gov.cn
Diary5. 11/28/2022
// Shanghai parade responding to fire accident in Xinjiang
On the evening of November 24, 2022, a fire broke out in a high-rise residential building in Urumqi, killing 10 people and injuring 9.
Many people believe that the epidemic lockdown caused by the “zero-covid” policy has hindered fire rescue, and trapped people cannot escape in time. The next day, a large number of people in Urumqi broke through the quarantine blockade, holding the national flag and singing the national anthem for protest, demanding an immediate end to the lockdown.
On the evening of November 27, 2022, a group of around 500 citizens met at Urumqi road in downtown, Shanghai, for a self-organized protest for hours. According to people at the scene, the police force had interrupted the parade and had arrested about 8 people, mainly women. Later that day, people arrived near-by the police station demanding police station set the protestors free.
I did not go to the protest myself, however, I have been browsing much protest-related content on We-chat. Many of those posts were blocked hours later by the We-chat backend and were tagged as “inappropriate content”.
Diary6. 11/29/2022
// blank paper protest
On November 26, 2022, the peaceful protest at Nanjing Media College set off a series of political protests across the People’s Republic of China.
In addition to protesting the “Zero Covid” policy, the movement also calls on the Chinese people to start protesting against various unreasonable Epidemic prevention measures.
The protest is not only a response message to the fire accident that happened on November 24, 2022, in Urumqi, but also to extreme measures that were taken across the nation in the past 3 years including months of city lockdown, shortage of necessities, and disappearing freedom of the press and speech.
It is also people’s response message to The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that just finished in Beijing.
It is generally believed that “holding a blank paper” originated from a famous Soviet political joke, which is usually expressed as a person holding up a blank paper in Moscow Square, and the police want to arrest him. The former asks “I didn’t write anything!” The latter scolds “You don’t think I know what you want to write?”. Relevant arrests also occurred during the Russian protest against the Russo-Ukrainian war. Some people held up a blank paper and wrote “this is a piece of paper” and were arrested by the police. – https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-sg/反對動態清零政策運動