[Correspondent Diary] Increased Popularity Amid Entry Restrictions at Zhongguancun

Only 12,000 Visitors Allowed Per Day During National Day Holiday... Sold Out Immediately After Midnight Booking
Chinese Government 'Encourages' Tourism, Beijing Primary and Secondary Schools Advised Against Visiting Other Cities

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] At 12:00:00 midnight on the 24th, I clicked on the ticket reservation site of the Forbidden City internet homepage in China as the midnight bell rang.

As soon as I clicked, the computer screen lagged. Unable to endure about 30 seconds of lag, I tried to access from another computer, but a message saying the reservations were sold out appeared on the screen. It was a failure. Just as I was about to give up, the first computer successfully connected. It took 5 to 6 minutes to receive the final reservation confirmation message.

The Forbidden City is a tourist attraction in Beijing, China, visited by 15 million tourists annually. During holidays or long weekends, the Forbidden City is literally packed with no space to step. There is even a saying that people spend the whole day just looking at the backs of others' heads.

The view of Taehwajeon, the central and largest building of the Forbidden City (Photo by Wikipedia)

The Chinese government has limited the daily number of visitors to the Forbidden City since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). During this National Day holiday period (October 1?8), only 12,000 people are allowed entry per day. Tickets for the Forbidden City during the holiday period have already sold out.

The Forbidden City was a popular tourist destination, but its popularity has increased even more due to the visitor limit. Ironically, COVID-19 has created the optimal tourism environment. People prefer places like this (with visitor restrictions).

Although the Chinese government has effectively declared the end of COVID-19, there are still fears and concerns about COVID-19 among Chinese people.

In fact, on the 25th, Chinese health authorities announced that two dock workers at Qingdao Port tested positive for asymptomatic COVID-19 infection.

They explained that asymptomatic infections were confirmed through 'regular' nucleic acid testing, but it is somewhat doubtful to take this at face value. It is reasonable to suspect that there was a confirmed case and that asymptomatic infections were identified during contact tracing.

If asymptomatic cases were found by chance during regular testing, it is highly likely that there was a confirmed case nearby.

The Chinese government is encouraging tourism among Chinese people during this National Day holiday period as part of efforts to stimulate domestic consumption.

However, schools have a different stance. Some elementary, middle, and high schools in Beijing recommend not visiting cities or regions outside Beijing during the holiday period. Although it is a recommendation, they mention that there could be disadvantages later on.

Because of this, many Chinese who had planned to visit other regions during the holiday are canceling their travel packages. This National Day holiday is the real turning point for the COVID-19 situation in China.