Not out of the Woods Yet: Foreigner Picnic Goes Viral and Beijing Tightens Restrictions

As the weather improves, some Beijingers are apparently getting a little too comfortable in spite of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, flocking to the city's parks and restaurants and forcing the government to reiterate the need to strictly regulate public prevention measures.

The Beijing New Coronary Pneumonia Outbreak Prevention and Control Working Group, as reported by Beijing News yesterday, reiterated the need to "strengthen inspections and spot checks, and guide the community to tighten the prevention and control." It also specifically calls out bars, restaurants, and parks as areas that require continued close monitoring.

The notice comes in light of a particular incident this past Sunday, in which images of a large group of foreigners congregating in Chaoyang Park went viral on Chinese social media under the hashtag 'Foreigners seen picnicking and not wearing masks in Chaoyang Park persuaded to leave' (#外国人不戴口罩在朝阳公园聚餐被劝离#), earning the ire of netizens.

The images were supplemented with a picture of a park sign reminding visitors to wear a mask and not to gather as well as pictures of a group of young Chinese partaking in a similarly insouciant and mask-free hangout.

While the government's call for closer monitoring was officially in response to the climbing numbers of cases abroad (and also likely due to the re-opening of Wuhan city today – after 76 days of lockdown) and plainly not related to Chaoyang Park's flourishing picnic scene, it does serve as a reminder that Beijing is still a long way from business as usual when it comes to public gatherings.

The rule-breaking foreigner stereotype also provided fodder for a racist WeChat post that went viral this past weekend. How widely the article was shared and the number comments posted in support of the content gives credence to claims of increased xenophobia that many foreigners have reported experiencing of late. In the post, titled "An illustrated handbook on how to sort foreign trash" (洋垃圾分类图鉴 yáng lājī fènlèi tújiàn), a series of cartoons illustrate how to best categorize foreigners based on their perceived indiscretions and flaunting of China's rules. The post has since been deleted.

Meanwhile, at the regular Ministry of Foreign Affairs press briefing yesterday, Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to a question about media reports highlighting "discrimination and rising xenophobia" in response to tightened immigration control measures. According to the official transcript, Zhao stated that "China always attaches great importance to the safety and health of foreign nationals in China and protects their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with law," adding, "We do not increase or reduce certain regulations on someone just because they are foreign citizens."

Whether this message, which was delivered in English at a press conference for English-language press, will have any impact on the Chinese community at large, remains to be seen.

With these incidents in mind, we recommend that you remain vigilant about properly respecting regulations. This includes wearing a mask in public, even when mask-wearing is a bit of a gray area, avoid gathering in large numbers, and, if you are in the receiving end of aggression or discrimination apparently for being a foreigner, try to stay cool and avoid retaliation. Finally, we also advise getting in touch with your local embassy to see if they have issued official advice about responding to or reporting incidences of anti-foreigner sentiment.

READ: Diverted Returnees to Beijing Do Not Need to Repeat Quarantine

Images: Mario Purisic (via Unsplash), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Weibo, WeChat