Originally Posted by yoyo (Post 34381820)

You only care about other photos and experiences but not the policy. You just love watching a train wreck happening in slow motion :-)

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34382584)

Apart from mundane matters such as hotel quarantine duration, we can't freely discuss "policy" in this forum.

Originally Posted by kb1992 (Post 34310632)

Update from Hangzhou.

After I left my suite of Q hotel, I checked in at Hangzhou Marriott and got another family suite, upgraded from regular room. The hotel staff are very nice to this Marriott Ambassador. They didn't even ask for health code etc.
















My room has magnificent views of Qiantangjiang 钱塘江 River.







I had a funny story when I tried to visit a beauty salon at a large mall near Marriott. Guards at gate 1 refused to let me in because he saw my 14-day history with a star sign with Shanghai listed from my phone A. So I went to gate 2 and produced phone B which has no Shanghai trace. I only turned phone B on after I arrived in Hangzhou :-)



Dinner at Marriott executive lounge. Nice view. Nice food.





Touring West Lake, a favorite site in Hangzhou for me. I visit there every year. There are very few tourists. Nice.













Finally, some delicious dishes in Hangzhou, treated by friends.




















My total cost of meals in Hangzhou: zero.

My next stop is Chengdu. Another favorite city in China for me.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34382584)

Apart from mundane matters such as hotel quarantine duration, we can't freely discuss "policy" in this forum.

Originally Posted by yoyo (Post 34382601)

why is that? flyertalk server now in China?:p

Originally Posted by yoyo (Post 34382601)

why is that? flyertalk server now in China?:p

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34382630)

FT is pretty easy to access...

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34382584)

Apart from mundane matters such as hotel quarantine duration, we can't freely discuss "policy" in this forum.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34382630)

FT is pretty easy to access, and I'm not especially afraid of breaking their rules (note to mods: this won't happen). However, I am concerned about saying negative things about the government. Statements of fact (e.g. flying to China is really expensive), on the other hand, are okay IMO. I suppose this is a YMMV type of thing, but I'm sticking with gentle comments and pictures for now.

Originally Posted by Majuki (Post 34382678)

I remember checking all of the major sites my first time behind the firewall, and I remember being able to access FT freely. I did not venture into OMNI/PR though, so I'm unable to provide a data point there. :D

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34383215)

The direct flight requirement has now been lifted. The current list of transit countries is mostly comprised of places that don't have flights to China (e.g. Brazil), but I'm confident that they will add useful places soon.

My new question is: will we be permitted to do PCR tests at our point of origin, instead of the transit point? My SFO transit last year wasn't especially expensive because I stayed with friends, but the process sucked up 3 days of my time. And, I definitely don't want to spend 3 days in Dubai or Toronto later this year.

At any rate, things are definitely looking better for us, and it appears that the key issues are being addressed.

Originally Posted by uanj (Post 34385670)

Is there any discussion when China will allow entry on "old" visas and stop requiring special covid entry visas? Best I am hearing is maybe Q1 or Q2 2023.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34386213)

I haven't heard of any talk about this yet, and I'm certainly looking out because Mom has an old visa. I want to reiterate that recent progress has been far faster than I expected. Look, they changed Q, and (sort of) removed the direct flight restriction during the span of two weeks. My interpretation of these measures is that BB does care.

Originally Posted by uanj (Post 34385670)

Is there any discussion when China will allow entry on "old" visas and stop requiring special covid entry visas? Best I am hearing is maybe Q1 or Q2 2023.

Originally Posted by MW147 (Post 34386807)

That is what I am watching, too. I am not getting my hopes up, but maybe there will be a Canton Fair in April of 2023!

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34386213)

I haven't heard of any talk about this yet, and I'm certainly looking out because Mom has an old visa. I want to reiterate that recent progress has been far faster than I expected. Look, they changed Q, and (sort of) removed the direct flight restriction during the span of two weeks. My interpretation of these measures is that BB does care.

Originally Posted by moondog (Post 34383215)

The direct flight requirement has now been lifted. The current list of transit countries is mostly comprised of places that don't have flights to China (e.g. Brazil), but I'm confident that they will add useful places soon.

My new question is: will we be permitted to do PCR tests at our point of origin, instead of the transit point? My SFO transit last year wasn't especially expensive because I stayed with friends, but the process sucked up 3 days of my time. And, I definitely don't want to spend 3 days in Dubai or Toronto later this year.

At any rate, things are definitely looking better for us, and it appears that the key issues are being addressed.

Originally Posted by uanj (Post 34385670)

Is there any discussion when China will allow entry on "old" visas and stop requiring special covid entry visas? Best I am hearing is maybe Q1 or Q2 2023.