I managed to escape successfully yesterday. Following are a few insights (PVG departure in my case, but I assume other exit points are similar):
1. You only need a 48 (or 24) hour green code to access the airport (not really any different than a subway station)
2. To get into the China customs area, you need to fill out this form: https://htdecl.chinaport.gov.cn/htde...dex/index.html (hard to open from non-China IP). If you don't do it in advance, you can scan a QR on the spot and input the info using your phone (no big deal)
3. Plan on waiting for a considerable amount of time to check-in and get through exit immigration. The lines were not long, but Chinese nationals were subjected to intense questioning by both the airline and immigration...and, being non-Chinese didn't really help because the lines weren't segregated by nationality. And, as travelinmanS mentioned last week, eChannel is on pause
4. It honestly didn't take me *that* long to get from curb to gate, but standing in around in lines made me quite hungry. And, there is almost no food on offer in PVG T2-international section. I did spot a few beverage vending machines though. Moral to story: load up on snacks before you go