Wednesday 29^th January, 2020 0100

Welcome to the regular insight into the virus-ravaged country that is China!

Well, I'm not exactly in the thick of it but from everything going on here you could be forgiven for thinking so.

There are many things about China I love but one thing I don't is the constant battle I have to connect to the outside world with “Mr Shithole's” relentless assault on VPNs. His country is facing an epidemic which may yet cause a pandemic and yet censoring the internet is still vital. I could say something vulgar but I won't.

Exams have been cancelled and schools in various provinces have told students not to return. They are closing indefinitely. Chizhou was due to reopen on the 8^th but their website now tells students to stay away. I find it hard to believe the situation will be sufficiently contained by the time we are supposed to open a fortnight later. Just wondering how that will affect me, no way am I catching up and working double time seeing as my lessons don't even count towards their degrees!

Naturally I have been scouring all news sites like a hawk – wouldn't you in the same situation? But do you know what is really annoying me?

The Brits.

Bleating about other countries coming to “rescue” their citizens but not the UK. For God's sake, they aren't in a war zone (that would be different), they are somewhere they chose to be and just happen to now be trapped. So they should be saved and the Chinese left to rot? Am I being unreasonable in thinking if you make your bed you lie in it? They are an embarrassment, at least to me. I ain't going nowhere, to put it in dreadful English. Well, Mercan actually but apt.

However, yesterday I went out to get some veg. Never seen it before. Maybe I went out too late, it was after all 1600 yet they are normally open until 2100, but bar a couple of fruit shops close by, almost all of the rest of the units were closed. My veg shop was one and I kept walking until I found one (spuds were dreadful) and then another with half decent stuff. Had I wanted meat I'd have been out of luck.

People are saying stay inside and don't go out for two weeks but how the hell do you do that? I don't have a chest freezer. How am I supposed to get 30 bottles of wine, jing jo and three cases of beer to my home without a car? Ready meals don't exist here. Of course I'm going to go out.

The situation has, it must be said, probably ruined many peoples' spring festival holiday. Subdued is possibly too mild a word. I am thankful the only plans I had came to fruition before the shit hit the fan. And I know you won't believe me but Wuhan was a city on my list someday, if only en route to Shanghai given its proximity.

So whatever you read in the news, Wuhan is in lockdown. Everywhere else is not too bad unless you want to travel, For now, anyway.

Isn't life exciting?