For many living in the city of Xi’an, the New Year did not start off bright and joyful, but dark and filled with anxiousness.
On December 22, more than 13 million residents were ordered to stay at home and a strict lockdown began after the city saw a new wave of Covid19 infections, recording 143 infections in the two weeks before since December 9th.
December 28 marked a record high of 175 new confirmed cases in a single day. By December 29th, the number of recorded infections reached 1,117, going up to 1,444 on January 1st and 1,573 on January 2nd.
As the city entered its tenth day under strict lockdown this weekend, Weibo saw an outpouring of anger and disbelief from sleepless netizens who expressed their shock over the way in which local authorities were managing the Covid19 outbreak and the lockdown itself.
With most offline and takeout stores being closed and residents not allowed the leave their compounds, getting food supplies and other essentials became a serious problem for many.
Residents were initially allowed to have one person in their household go out to buy groceries, but rules were later tightened, not allowing residents to leave at all except for Covid19 testing.
Although many households soon received government supplies, there were also communities where no food had been delivered yet and where online groceries were delayed. Some on Weibo complained that they had already been eating instant noodles for eight days straight, unable to get any vegetables.
These were some of the hashtags and taglines on Weibo surrounding incidents sparking outrage.
Food Shortages in Xi’an #西安买菜难#
The hashtag “Difficult to Buy Food in Xi’an” (#西安买菜难#) had received over 370 million clicks by Sunday, January 2nd.
Many people are sharing their stories of saving up what they have left at home, not eating vegetables or fruit for over a week, and expressing their fear of going hungry and not having enough formula to feed their babies. Some also write about not being able to get much-needed medicine for family members with medical conditions such as cancer or diabetes.
“I’m a student who is stranded in Xi’an,” one young woman wrote: “I’m lucky that I rented a room for a month so I have a place to stay, but I’m worried about whether or not there is enough food to eat! In this phase of developing the New Era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, there are still people who are worried about not being able to eat.” She later adds: “I just have two packs of noodles left, preparing to delay eating them as long as I can and will only eat them when I am most hungry.”
Other people also expressed concerns over not being able to get other essentials, such as sanitary napkins and diapers: “Where can I buy diapers for my baby? I can’t get them offline, I can’t get them online, but this is also a basic necessity!”
While people are crying out for help over not being able to get food, there are also many videos on Weibo showing how local anti-epidemic workers are distributing food throughout the city.
As anti-epidemic workers are bringing food to local communities, videos such as these having been going viral on Weibo. pic.twitter.com/lWdidgXNmm
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) January 1, 2022
Hundreds of netizens posted photos of the vegetable boxes they received from the government, expressing gratitude over the food and the volunteers who brought it to them. While some are creative in making dolls from their received vegetables, others are making drawings of the vegetables they wish they had.
“I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe if I see the residents of Xi’an in the news,” one local Weibo user writes on January 2nd: “In Baqiao District (灞桥区) of Xi’an, the fact is that from the lockdown up to now, our neighborhood hasn’t seen a single grain of rice or vegetable from the government.”
People living in Shajing town (沙井村) also sent out messages online to share their struggles. One person posted a video showing a long line of people queuing up for steamed buns.
In light of Xi'an lockdown, some people in Shajing Village are really struggling. Endless lines for steamed buns, hungry people & those who've had nothing but noodles for 8 days straight: "When will we get food? Everyone in the house is hungry. We can only ask for help on Weibo." pic.twitter.com/CWxL2UDBxH
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) January 1, 2022
“The landlord here in Shajing town received two cabbages, two carrots, and two potatoes, but the tenants didn’t get anything,” one Weibo user from the area wrote.
Man Gets Beaten Up for Buying Steamed Buns #西安小伙买馒头被群殴#
A video showing how one Xi’an resident got beaten up by two community guards upon return to his compound after buying food went viral on social media this week.
The hashtag “Xi’an Guy Gets Beaten Up Buying Mantou [Steamed Buns]” (#西安小伙买馒头被群殴#) received over 230 million views on Weibo. Other hashtags related to the incident received 330 million and 90 million views respectively (#西安通报2名防疫人员殴打市民#, #警方通报西安2名防疫人员殴打市民#)
The incident happened on December 31st around noon in the Yanta District of Xi’an. Social media users who posted a video of the incident said the man had left the compound to buy some buns because he was hungry.
But there was also this video of a resident being beaten by anti-epidemic workers after he allegedly left his community to get steamed buns because he was so hungry. The two community workers have reportedly been detained by Xi’an police. pic.twitter.com/lxHv6zl1gF
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) January 1, 2022
The man can be seen standing at the gates of the compound talking to the guards when one of them approaches him from behind and seemingly grabs his phone. Another guard then physically attacks the man, with two other community workers also joining in punching the man, his food getting scattered on the floor.
It was later reported that the guards apologized for their actions. Local police also sent out a statement that, in accordance with the law, the two guards who punched the man will be detained for seven days and were each given a 200 yuan fine.
The video angered many people for various reasons, with some also understanding why social tensions are rising in local communities where people are unsure of when they’ll get food while the guards are also put in a tough job during such a strict lockdown.
Sudden Quarantine of Mingde Bayingli Community #西安明德八英里小区#
Another hashtag attracting major attention on Chinese social media was one concerning the Mingde 8 Yingli community (明德八英里小区) in Yanta District, where dozens of residents received news that they would be quarantined away from their compound together in the night of January 1st due to new infections in their proximity.
Residents complained on Weibo and WeChat that they were unsure of where they were heading, that they were put in buses together for hours until being driven off to a remote guest house without proper supplies. Old people, small children, and pregnant women were among those being taken away for quarantine without allegedly being provided with the things they needed, and without any measures to protect them against the dangers of infection.
Others wondered what the point of the isolation was. After all, these residents were already staying inside their homes since the 20th of December, besides going out for Covid19 tests. What was the point of taking them away together?
Many commenters were moved to tears when they saw an image of an old man standing in line for the quarantine. The man, holding a walking stick, was seemingly all alone and did not seem to have luggage or food supplies with him. People worried about his wellbeing.
One WeChat article titled “Xi’an, Is This How You Control the Virus?” (“西安，这就是你的防疫管控?”) criticized the way in which the situation was handled, but it was soon taken offline.
Still, many others on Weibo also wrote things such as: “Xi’an, what are you doing?”, expressing disbelief that the city seemingly was not prepared for a lockdown like this even though it has been two years since the pandemic started.
On January 2nd, Chinese media reported that two local Xi’an officials, Wang Bin (王斌) and Cui Shiyue (崔诗越), were removed from their positions in order to “strengthen the epidemic prevention and control efforts.”
“It’s begun now,” some commenters posted, suggesting that local authorities are turning things around to improve the situation in the city’s districts.
There are also many netizens praising the efforts of anti-epidemic staff who are working around the clock to get food to the various communities.
One video showed a woman breaking down in tears as she told a local health worker that she was on her period, but that there was no way for her to get sanitary pads.
“They also can’t help it,” one person responded: “This outbreak is really putting the city’s management to the test.”
“I started my first day as a volunteer today,” one Weibo user wrote: “It was very tiring, but it is cool that I am doing what I want to do. I know things are not perfect. But we’re trying.”
This volunteer health worker from a local art troupe played the patriotic "My People, My Country" (我和我的祖国) on New Year's Eve in Xi'an where the strict lockdown continues. Residents are cheering from their windows. pic.twitter.com/QqAh0L4MGb
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) January 1, 2022
One volunteer health worker from a local art troupe played the patriotic “My People, My Country” (我和我的祖国) on New Year’s Eve while residents were cheering from their windows. On Weibo, the same sentiment was shared by many: “Come on Xi’an! A big thank you to all the frontline workers in the fight against the epidemic.”
Meanwhile, the cries for help also continue. “I really understand the hard work of the [anti-epidemic] staff,” one Xi’an citizen writes: “But our family will soon run out of food. We live in a tiny neighborhood – please don’t forget about us.”
By Manya Koetse
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