China's reopening: how will it affect you related to Chinese/China?

[Jan Finster]

I wonder how China's long awaited reopening will affect people's life on this forum.

 

For me, I am really looking forward to visiting China again for tourism and potentially to start doing the seminars again I used to do before COVID. Related to traveling in China, I would be keen to visit Yunnan. I am especially intrigued by the new train line from Laos to Yunnan and would consider flying to Bangkok and then traveling by train to Laos and Yunnan. I wonder, if you have met people, who have done so (since the train line only opened in 2021, I doubt it). Also, I might spend 1-2 weeks with a language teacher in Yunnan (maybe Dali or Kunming).

 

How about you?

 

 

 

[abcdefg]

On 12/28/2022 at 12:33 PM, Jan Finster said:

Also, I might spend 1-2 weeks with a language teacher in Yunnan (maybe Dali or Kunming).

Highly recommended!

[anonymoose]

Yunnan is definitely a good choice. The new railway line is an important connection for the south of Yunnan and will undoubtedly bring further development which is good for the locals. Until recently, the south of Yunnan has been fairly isolated, and getting to/from the south often entailed a coach trip from Kunming lasting the best part of a day, not to mention travel within the region which was often on pot-holed dirt tracks. Over the last 15 years or so, many new paved roads have been built making travel within the region much faster, more convenient and more comfortable, and this new railway line will bring 前所未有的 connectivity.

 

Unfortunately, I fear that this will also ruin the sense of adventure for the traveller. There is something special about reaching an isolated place at the end of a long journey, and in the case of south Yunnan, with a unique geographic and cultural character not seen anywhere else in China. I went to 泼水节 in Xishuangbanna in 2019, and already in Jinghong, the locals (as far as I could tell, though it can be hard distinguishing) were far outnumbered by Chinese visitors from the rest of China who just came to join in the fun. I had to go to the remote villages to experience a more pure local ambience. With this new railway line, I can only imagine that there will be a larger influx of outsiders treating the region as a recreation resort.

 

Anyway, to answer the OP, I will almost certainly go back soon. There are so many places I want to go to again, and so many I wish to explore for the first time. Difficult to even say where I'd like to start, but probably also the southwest, maybe around the Chongqing or Guizhou area.

[Takeshi]

Any news on whether...... foreigners can enter China after the border "reopens"? Like will old 10 year visas be valid? Will new visa applications be accepted? Because I haven't found any sources lol.

[Moshen]

 

Quote

Any news on whether...... foreigners can enter China after the border "reopens"? Like will old 10 year visas be valid?

 

What else can "reopening" mean but that?

[Flickserve]

Based in HK.

 

There’s been a pre announcement that tickets will available three days before 高铁 reopens. It hasn’t been open for three years so maybe the tracks have rusted over. I’m looking forward to short trips across the border. 
 

There’s a feeling that many more mainland residents will move to HK. There’s less of those drastic controls. That gives me more incentive to work on my lessons. 

[Takeshi]

Well, I wasn't sure if the "reopening" only applied to Chinese citizens.

 

https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741542/c1548474/content.html

 

Found a source that says foreigners are allowed in too. It is not clear if I need to reapply for a visa, or if my pre-covid 10 year visa is valid. I guess I'll go to the visa centre the day it opens and check.

[abcdefg]

On 1/3/2023 at 12:40 AM, Takeshi said:

Found a source that says foreigners are allowed in too. It is not clear if I need to reapply for a visa, or if my pre-covid 10 year visa is valid. I guess I'll go to the visa centre the day it opens and check.

 

Please let us know when you find out. I had the same question as you when I saw the reopening announcement. I looked on TIMATIC, the database that airlines use to know whether you have the proper travel documents before they sell you a ticket or at least before they let you board a flight to any given country. They didn't say anything about prior visas no longer being valid, but it would still be nice to have it spelled out with maximum clarity. 

 

Don't see anything on the China Consulate website for the U.S.  https://english.www.gov.cn/services/202007/20/content_WS5f1507b2c6d00bd0989c6404.html 

 

I don't plan to go back to live, but I would like to visit once this Covid surge settles down. My track record on timing such things is abysmal. When I silently guessed "only several months" for the initial Covid epidemic to improve, I was wrong by a margin of several years. Huge prediction error. Patience must continue to be my keyword. 

[alantin]

On 1/3/2023 at 5:02 PM, abcdefg said:

When I silently guessed "only several months" for the initial Covid epidemic to improve, I was wrong by a margin of several years. Huge prediction error.

If it’s any consolation, you weren’t the only one…

[Lu]

I really hope I will soon be able to visit again. It's good to just be there once in a while, to see and hear and smell and experience what it looks like. In the last three years, so much has happened in China that I didn't experience and I feel I'll be disconnected to the country. (I'm fortunate I didn't have to experience all that, obviously.) Also I used to visit Beijing for the Beijing Book Fair every year, I hope I'll have the chance to do that again. But I'm not going to book any tickets just yet, I'm waiting until the policy dust settles a bit.

[matteo]

I just received an email from Keats (god knows how many years ago I might actually have enrolled in their newsletter list) which says that people can go back to China for studying starting from now.  Nice to see that happening and it must be such a relief for all the people in the business that had to hold on and tighten their belts for so long. 

 

Was wondering if someone more "in the know" could share more details and confirm if this is actually happening all over China, and if it is as straightforward as it looks?

 

Cheers

 

[abcdefg]

I got one of those e-mail announcements from Keats yesterday too. Glad to see it. They have always been on the ball and reliable with information of that type. I would trust what they are saying. 

[Johnny-5]

On 1/10/2023 at 11:00 AM, matteo said:

Was wondering if someone more "in the know" could share more details and confirm if this is actually happening all over China, and if it is as straightforward as it looks?

Not "in the know" but I am in China, and they seem to have just flipped a switch. One day it was "show your green QR code on your phone and take a test every 2-3 days" and then it was just "try not to get sick!"

Crazy really, my wife was feeling unwell and went to get tested, the test results showed up positive on her Alipay, but her QR code stayed green. Last year some guys would have come and hauled you off in a van if you had a positive covid test, but now nobody cares!

[Jan Finster]

On 1/10/2023 at 4:00 AM, matteo said:

I just received an email from Keats

 

How does it work with the visa? Do you need a student visa? If so, can you also get this for short stays (2-3 weeks?)

[matteo]

Hey Jan, yes you need a X2 student visa. All I know is from the email that I pasted in my previous message. You can enlarge it and read it by clicking on it.