Beijing Bunker: How Coronavirus Helped, Not Hindered, One Man's Travel Plans

As Beijing enters its sixth week in self-quarantine, the stories of how people have been dealing with the coronavirus outbreak – by staying, leaving, or watching on from afar – are many and varied. In Beijing Bunker, we quiz Beijingers on what approach they've been taking to stay safe and sane in this time of war.

Michael Tehau fell in love with the culture, people, and food of China when he first traveled here on holiday in 2017. Since then, the New Zealand-born, Australian-raised expat moved to Beijing to teach English and has made it his goal to visit every province and municipality in China during his free time. Here Tehau tells us how he has not let the coronavirus put a damper on his travel plans.

Would you consider yourself safe, sane, safe and sane, or other? Why?
I would say I'm safe and sane, the reason being is that I have made sure to only listen to news from reputable sources. Furthermore, I've not allowed the virus to ruin my travel plans and have also maintained the principle of staying alert as opposed to anxious.

Has the virus disrupted your travel plans or those of your loved ones?
Originally, I was traveling from Xinjiang through Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Anhui back to Beijing but I reassessed my travel plans when I got to Chengdu and took advantage of some incredibly cheap flights and instead went to Guiyang, Haikou, and Beihai before returning home to Beijing.

How have you been spending your time since the outbreak? How has your life changed on account of the situation?
I have continued to travel as I do not see it as a danger so long as I am alert, maintain proper handwashing, and keep a distance from others whenever possible. I've also made sure to keep on top of the situation by checking the right news sources two to three times a day.

Has the situation affected your work or business? If so, how?
I was not scheduled to perform any work during the New Year period, but it seems the break will continue, so I'm unsure as of yet what changes there will be.

Have there been any unexpected upsides?
At first, I was disappointed to find out a lot of the sites I intended to visit were closed, for example, Mount Emei in Sichuan. However, simply getting on a Mobike and riding around an empty city has it's appeal too.

The other huge positive for me has been that flights and hotels are considerably cheaper; I picked up a flight from Guiyang-Haikou for only RMB 220 and stayed in some truly luxurious resorts for at least half the usual price.

Which resources (online or real-life) have proved the most useful to you during this time?
I have found the Beijinger to release timely and concise information throughout this situation. Meanwhile, the WHO also releases good information, obviously, but for me, the bigger issue has been discerning fake news, with screenshots and rumors being spread all over WeChat Moments. Spending time to fact check these has been key.

What's one thing that you've done that has saved you a lot of hassle/time/insanity?
Sticking to the ideology of remaining alert but not anxious. Risk is all around us and so long as we take steps to lower the risk it isn't exactly necessary to stay at home and do nothing during this time, in fact, I would say it's healthier to go outside and get some exercise and vitamin D  and remember the Wuhan method [as defined by the WHO: case identification, close contact tracing, quarantine, and basic hygiene measures] for health and safety at this time.

READ: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Fitness Instructor

Images courtesy of Michael Tehau