Part Three: My 14-Days Lockdown Life in Tianjin Quarantine Hotel, My Chinese TV Viewing Journal
Lee Siu Hin
Tianjin, China
September 8th, 2020
Vlongs: My Two Weeks Quarantine Life http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/Lee-Siu-Hin-Two-Weeks-Tianjin-Quarantine-Hotel-Life.MP4
Since August 25th when I arrived to the Northern Chinese costal city of Tianjin, our entire flight passengers has been send to 14-days quarantine before we can discharge, set free to go anywhere.
Our international flight has 200+ passengers, we all know will be send to a quarantine hotel, but we didn’t expect we’ll drive to 31-miles away, passing downtown a long-drive to a place we don’t know.
The hotel locates at the Southwestern-part of the city, 23-miles from the center, at Jinghai district, middle of the industrial park, it’s absolutely not a type of hotel you’ll think about coming for dream vacation or weekend family getaway, we’re their only customers.
Since China end of COVID-19 crisis at early April, economy has been gradually return to normal, tourist and business trip also resumed, but the government and the public are still very careful about mass gathering, a business hotel outside popular locations must be lacking customers. Local government helping them by appoint them as quarantine hotel so they have some business and keep worker’s job. That’s the reason why Chinese economy can be recover faster at the post-COVID era, it’s not just the effectiveness of Chinese government policy, but also the traditional Chinese value of helping each others.
Video - Picking Up My Meal at the Door: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/TianjinQuarantine-19.mp4
Like: paying my dues, doing my time, a 14-days lockdown life, my 14-days lockdown life with daily delivery-to the-door 3 meals with routine daily exercise, writing my “Return to China” Book Project, recycle my delivery meal containers, and watching outside windows counting how many chimney & 5G tower nearby.
Video - My lockdown life http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/TianjinQuarantine-20.mp4
Video: Daily indoor 5-K exercise run, with TV reporting daily global, China and U.S. COVID-19 news http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/TianjinQuarantine-21.mp4
It’s also a good opportunity watching TV for all-day long (everyone knows me I don’t watch TV at home), I saw many interesting programs, unlike western-made Chinese stereotype, from the Chinese TV we see the face of real China, their happiness, passions, honor, positive energy, emotion and pride:
At the local Tianjin and Shanghai TV many news about horning the anti-COVID medical workers, include: interviews, exhibition and theatrical play.
* Theatrical play “24 hours Life & Death” to praise medics helped Wuhan early 2020
Video: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/TianjinTV-5.mp4
* Price of the food at the market in Tianjin
* Exhibition for stories about anti-COVID medical workers from Shanghai
Video: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/TianjinTV-8.mp4
China CCTV airs 6-parts documentary series 'Together Against COVID-19' TV special, its about China fight against COVID outbreak at Wuhan early this year, and to honor the medical workers, scientists and volunteers http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/Medical-5.mp4 (YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEo3qk-4yx8)
Daily COVID updates, and TV interview medical experts, include the World famous “Bat Woman” Shi Zhengl from Wuhan Institute of Virology (U.S. right wings attack her the source of the bogus “Wuhan Virus”) at CGTN.
* Chinese medics arrives to west African nation of Guinea early September, 2020
* CGTN interview “Bat Woman” Shi Zhengl from Wuhan Institute of Virology
At post-COVID China, life and economy are quickly back to normal, at September 1st, 2020 schools opening day across the country.
Video： School opening at Wuhan http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/SchoolOpening090120-2.mp4
Video: School opning at Shanghai http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/SchoolOpening090120-3.mp4
Also, a school opening-day TV-special program at prime-time CCTV Channel One, call “Let’s begin class,’ the show invite medics and scientists talk about their experience during virus-fight at Wuhan early 2020,
Video： http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/SchoolOpeningTVSpecial090120-6.mp4
Video： Zhong Nanshan the most famous & respectful doctor fight for COVID-19 http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/SchoolOpeningTVSpecial090120-7.mp4
Video: Chen Wei the Chinese scientist who developed the World first COVID-19 vaccine http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/SchoolOpeningTVSpecial090120-8.mp4
Since summer 2020 Chinese economic recovery has been full-speed ahead, one of the clear indication is international exhibitions; on September 1st, 2020 the opening of CIEX 2020 - The 16th Tianjin International Industrial Expo 2020 at Tianjin.
Video: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/CIEXTianjin2020-2.mp4
And September 4th, 2020 the opening of CIFTIS 2020--7th China International Fair for Trade in Services at Beijing, the baggiest international exhibition since begin of the pandemic early 2020.
Video: Opening ceremony http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/CIFTISOpening090420-2.mp4
Exhibition: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/CIFTIS-1.mp4
September 3rd, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War—the official day Japan surrender to China at Nanjing, China and the formal end of the WWII. China had a celebration and speech from Xi Jinping, calling China need to vigilant about foreign interference, indirectly point U.S.
VIDEO: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/75thVictory090320-3.mp4
One of my favorite TV program in China by CCTV Channel One, a program help people find their long lost love ones—family search for their adopted children by kidnappers 30 years ago, an old war hero look for their comrades from revolutionary war 70 years ago, and someone want to find a unnamed well-wisher who saved his life 20 years ago.
Video: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Photos/WaitForMe090620-2.mp4
After 14 days our quarantine life is coming to end, they arrange one more COVID-test to make sure we’re OK, then we’ can discharge and set free at September 8th, 2020.
My cousin is the flight attendant flying between U.S. and China, they’d resume their flight to Asia. First U.S. to Seoul, South Korea for a crew swap only (passengers stay on board ) then they will head to Shanghai, China. Passengers will get off and flight crews will have to wait in a bus (not entering China for 14-days quarantine), wait for the airplane to be cleaned and cater then pickup the Shanghai-departing passengers flying back to Seoul. They’ll stay at the Seoul’s layover hotel (flight crews are exempt from 14-days quarantine in South Korea, but cannot travel around), and finally fly back to U.S.
We praise each others for going through difficult international journey during the pandemic. The unique two weeks quarantine experience with watched many Chinese TV helped me catch-up the latest updates about China, and looking forward to begin my international medical solidarity trip.
* Lee Siu Hin, long-time Chinese-American low-pay immigrant workers activists, currently working on community health project; is the national coordinator of National Immigrant Solidarity Network http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
Action LA Network http://www.ActionLA.org and China-US Bi-National Activist Solidarity Network http://www.chinadelegation.org Lee’s book “Capitalism on a Ventilator -- Impact of COVID-19 in China vs. U.S.” will be co-publish with International Action Center at August, 2020. For more information email: activistweb@gmail.com twitter @siuhin
Part Two: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/PartTwo.html
Article: Science and Stake Behind the COVID Vaccine Development http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/China/2020/Science-and-Stake-Behind-the-COVID-Vaccine-Development.html
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