Current China Entry policy
Jun 29, 2022 | 8:56 pm
#2011
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 46,376
Jun 29, 2022 | 9:09 pm
#2013
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 21,005
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.
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.
Everytime I went to Hangzhou it was jam packed with tourists. You're very lucky to have all those elbow room! Probably a once in a lifetime opportunity? I would love to go to West Lake now if I could!
Jun 29, 2022 | 9:29 pm
#2014
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 46,376
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.
Jun 29, 2022 | 10:03 pm
#2015
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,967
Jun 29, 2022 | 10:04 pm
#2016
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak; GM with hotels; Waymo; Honda crv; iOS
Posts: 36,686
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.
Jun 29, 2022 | 11:16 pm
#2017
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 46,376
FT does not require a VPN in China. BUT, if you want to be on VPN, a lot of the best servers are blocked (by FT and/or Google). I can tell you that Los Angeles 3 and Santa Clara work nicely on Astrill.
Jun 30, 2022 | 4:24 am
#2018
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 46,376
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.
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.
Jun 30, 2022 | 8:21 pm
#2019
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, AA, DL, BR
Posts: 3,914
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.
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.
Jul 1, 2022 | 2:40 am
#2020
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 46,376
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.
Jul 1, 2022 | 2:48 am
#2021
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, AA, DL, BR
Posts: 3,914
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.
Jul 1, 2022 | 7:37 am
#2022
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New York
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Delta Skymiles Platinum
Posts: 659
Jul 2, 2022 | 12:40 am
#2024
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,259
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.
Jul 2, 2022 | 12:42 am
#2025
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 21,005
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.
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.