"Can’t Even Leave": In 2025, Chinese Exit Controls Reach Alarming Levels

Can't even leave. In 2025, Chinese exit controls reach alarming levels. A Chinese face and a Chinese passport are now your golden ticket to the safest regions. What do you call this? This is called being Chinese. The Westerners who used to look down on us? Sorry, now it's your turn to wait. There's no place for you anymore. Chinese citizens get priority. It's already 2025. If you haven't applied for a passport yet, take note. This year, it's especially difficult to get one. In many parts of China now, even if you submit valid documents from a labor or travel agency, they still won't issue you a passport. If your region hasn't imposed restrictions yet, listen to me. Go get it done while you still can. People want to go abroad, but some places won't even issue passports anymore. So how can you even think about leaving the country? In the past, all you needed to go abroad was a passport and money. Now you may have the money, but getting the passport has become the real challenge. Recently, several regions, like Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, and Hunan, have tightened passport issuance, and the process of going abroad has become more and more complicated. For Chinese people, going overseas has truly become a hassle. Just this morning, a friend of mine had their visa cancelled. I couldn't help but sigh. Everyone has to go through layers of complicated procedures. Proof of employment, bank statements, labor contracts, tax receipts, social insurance, marriage or divorce certificates, notarized single status, criminal record clearance, medical exams, diplomas, academic certificates. And you even have to fill in detailed info about every family member. Parents, kids, uncles, aunts, almost like they want to strip off your underwear. If you have any sensitive background, they'll dig into it, do security checks, and even after all that, there's no guarantee you'll be approved. Then they might reject you on the grounds of potential immigration risk or vague travel purposes. All your effort, time, and money go up in smoke, and there's no room to argue. Honestly, today I finally made it to the boarding gate. The current security level is extremely strict. Let me show you. I never used to carry hand luggage before, but today I not only checked in my bag, I also brought hand luggage. If your carry-on is overweight, you won't even get a boarding pass. At exit inspection, I was genuinely shocked. Before, only Laos used to ask such detailed questions. But this time, even in Guangzhou, they grilled me for over 10 minutes. Before me, three people were stopped. They said they were going to Malaysia, which has a two-month visa-free policy, but because they didn't have return tickets, they weren't allowed to go. When it was my turn, they asked me what I was doing in Malaysia. I said I was going for tourism, visa-free. They asked to see my return ticket and had me open my phone so they could check the booking. A round-trip ticket was absolutely required. They asked what I would do there. I said sightseeing. They asked for my itinerary. I said scuba diving. They wanted to see my diving certification. While I was trying to find it, the internet was slow. They asked if I had diving photos. They checked everything down to the smallest detail. It was incredibly strict. Recently, the Chinese government has been continuously tightening its exit policies for citizens. Obtaining a passport has become increasingly difficult, with many people being turned away at customs and even having their phones checked during entry and exit procedures. Many Chinese bloggers have shared similar experiences. A netizen named Wanan De Tingting said that it's truly difficult. She has been waiting for a passport for half a year but still hasn't been able to get one. She feels very anxious and advises those who haven't applied yet not to rush because getting a passport this year is extremely difficult. Hong Yun-Jae shared that the passport process is incredibly troublesome and he's lucky he had previously done legal business. Otherwise, it would have been even more complicated. Hibe Kafeba questioned why Tibetans are not allowed to apply for passports. She simply wanted to travel abroad for sightseeing yet was not granted permission. Is going abroad really this difficult now? At customs, people are interrogated for hours and have their phone messages thoroughly checked. Even before boarding the plane, your passport is scrutinized before you're allowed to board. I'll never fly out of Shenzhen again. Even for going abroad, they inspect you so thoroughly. Your tickets, your itinerary, your employment. Why is everything now made so difficult? I'm not even sure if it's legal. Customs checks have become far too strict. Just earlier, I was taken into a room and detained for over an hour before being released. They kept asking what I was going to Thailand for. Young people in China who are still dreaming of going abroad to type on keyboards, i.e. work online or do freelance work, probably can't even make it past customs now. Someone had just gotten their passport and was planning to fly to Cambodia but wasn't allowed to go. If you don't have proof of employment and you say you're transiting through Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur or Thailand without a return ticket, you won't be allowed to go anywhere. Honestly, you might as well stay in the country. Dear friends, here's an urgent update. Just recently, a student undergoing exit procedures at a domestic border checkpoint was interrogated for 50 minutes. They even checked phone messages, photo albums, etc. If they find anything suspicious, they'll use the excuse unclear travel purpose to Japan to deny your exit. So, please everyone, be very careful. There's one thing I still don't understand. I believe anyone who has traveled abroad frequently knows that when you enter another country, immigration officers or customs staff, they will ask why are you here, how long are you staying, where are you staying, do you have a return ticket, have you booked a hotel, do you have friends here? They're worried you'll overstay your visa and cause issues in their society. That's very normal and reasonable. But when we are leaving our own country, our own border officials question us even more strictly than foreign ones. They ask where you work, demand to see your social insurance, bank statements. They ask how long you'll be gone, when you'll be back, what you'll be doing. But isn't that already clear from your visa? A tourist visa means travel, a student visa means studying, a work visa means employment, and a settlement visa means you're moving. Everything is stated right there. Why keep asking? If your passport has any history of visa refusals or long stays abroad, they'll even call in higher-ups to verify everything again. Foreign customs officers check because they fear you'll stay illegally and impact their society. But why are we checking our own people so harshly? I truly don't understand. Is the strict exit inspection now because too many people are trying to leave the country illegally? I was just transiting in Thailand to get a new boarding pass, and even then I was asked about my return ticket. I explained that I planned to travel overland from Thailand to Laos, then take the high-speed train from Laos back to China. They said that wasn't acceptable and asked how much cash I was carrying. I said I had about 3,000 yuan converted into Thai baht. They said that wasn't enough and went to consult a superior. I eventually got the boarding pass, but when going through customs, I was asked the exact same questions again. They even asked why I was traveling abroad alone. What's the point of that? They asked which tourist spots in Laos I planned to visit. How should I know? I plan my trip as I go. Maybe it's true that too many people are sneaking out now, but do I really look like one of them? Business is doing terribly. Some duty-free shops have even shut down. Is anyone even daring to go abroad anymore? For those planning to travel internationally, be aware that the situation with exit denials in Shen Yun has become quite serious. This morning, several of my friends at the airport were ordered to return home. They were planning to go to Jeju Island, South Korea. After being told to go back, they checked their personal records to see if there were any violations, went to both the police station and the immigration office, but found nothing. In the end, we concluded this. If customs officers suspect you might try to leave the country illegally, they can order you to return. But if you're denied exit merely on suspicion, what can you do? Besides the difficulty of getting a passport, or even having it confiscated, many people are now facing trouble at customs. Some are denied exit on the spot. One blogger noted that there are now multiple rounds of questioning at border checkpoints. Whether you're traveling for tourism, business, or visiting family, border officers ask for detailed information about your trip. During the inspection, your luggage and phone may be checked. Things like invitation letters and chat histories are also scrutinized. If they find anything suspicious, you could be banned from leaving the country immediately. A netizen named Baimeng Xiaoxin shared that every time she tries to leave the country, she's questioned. The officers at the manual inspection booths don't have the authority to decide, so after asking her once, they make phone calls while questioning her again, and eventually someone else comes to ask the same questions all over again. She could clearly feel the suspicion and unease in their eyes. They even asked about her previous exit records and said, Wow, you've traveled abroad many times. Every trip, it's a different person interrogating her. Today, I want to talk about passports. Because recently, a few friends from my hometown have tried to get passports to go abroad, but ran into all sorts of problems. Right now, in my hometown, getting a passport requires a lot of documentation. For example, last year, if you went to Shanghai to work, it was relatively easy to get one. But now, no matter whether you apply in Shanghai or elsewhere, your application gets sent back to your place of household registration for review and verification, so it's the same everywhere. If you say you're traveling for tourism, you'll need to provide proof of employment, social insurance documents, and a travel plan certified by your company. Only after submitting all of that can you apply for a passport. The police also need to review it. If you say you're going for work, it's even harder to get a passport, as you'll need even more documents, most of which ordinary people don't have access to. I also have a friend in Hubei who's had trouble getting a passport recently. So, for anyone planning to go abroad, you should apply for a passport while your local area hasn't tightened controls too much. Otherwise, it'll become a real hassle later. Some of the most difficult regions to get a passport in are Fujian, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, and Tibet, places where the process is extremely complicated and often requires an official visa before you can even apply. Next are Xijiazhuang, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, and Jiangxi. Finally, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Henan also require clear reasons for leaving the country. For example, if you're going to work, you need an invitation letter from a legally qualified company. If you're traveling for tourism, you need documents from a registered travel agency. The process is extremely cumbersome. Honestly, if you haven't been through it yourself, you have no right to comment. Only after experiencing it firsthand do you realize just how valuable a passport really is. I've been back for over 10 days now, returned from Nepal more than 10 days ago, and I'm at home showing everyone the thick stack of documents I had to prepare, business license, bank statements, insurance, proof of savings, everything under the sun. It felt like an investigation into my entire family. I used to think that once you got a passport, you could just go abroad. But now, I understand the true value of a Chinese passport. You only realize it once you're actually overseas. From now on, if you manage to go abroad, take good care of that little red booklet. I never expected that even when applying for a Philippine visa after submitting so many documents, it still wasn't guaranteed. A passport is just the first step. The path for an ordinary person may come down to only four options. Emigration, ordination, exile, or destruction. The greater the sense of crisis perceived by the Chinese government, the tighter the controls become. Some people revealed that it's not just government employees who are required to hand over their passports. Even nurses, bank staff, and workers in many other sectors must submit theirs, too, including those living in border areas. Anyone wanting to travel abroad must report and get approval. A person from Hunan said, In our small county, even kindergarten teachers who are considered government staff must hand in their passports and travel permits. Someone from Inner Mongolia said, All teachers have to submit theirs. I'm just a primary school teacher in a third-tier region, and my passport was taken. A person from Fujian said, In a small county, administrative staff who already had passports had to hand them in, and new applications weren't approved. People from other regions have also said the same. In Liaoning, senior-ranked teachers and party members have to turn in their passports. In Hebei, all drivers and public servants. In Beijing, even those not working in classified fields have had their passports withheld, and many hospital staff have been affected, too. A high school teacher in a town in Shandong Province said, Going abroad is becoming increasingly difficult. The school demanded passports be handed in, acting under the instruction of the city's education bureau, and now teacher passports are kept under school management. A netizen named Zhang Kaidong shared that his friend, a teacher at a public school, was also required to turn in both their passport and their Hong Kong-Macao travel permit. If they refused, the school leadership would criticize and pressure them. Even if they want to go abroad, they must request approval through multiple levels of authority. No one knows what exactly the higher-ups are so afraid of. One frustrated teacher cursed, It's crazy, treating us like criminals or thieves. Taiwanese businessmen fled, stores shut down, and 5 million people left. Xiamen became a ghost town. The whole country has more than 1 billion people, and Xiamen must have over 5 million. But what about now? There are hardly any people on the streets, in malls, or in stores. I don't know where everyone has gone. Can any friends in Xiamen tell me what's going on? No one here. No one there. No one anywhere. After the passenger-carrying incident, Gulangyu really seems to have gone cold. I arrived at Ximeiwanda at 10.30 in the morning, thinking I could chat with a few business owners. But as soon as I entered, I didn't expect the entire mall to be empty. The shopping assistants were just standing around, bored, swatting flies. At 2 p.m., I went to the Tongan Aegean Sea Mall. It's a fairly new place, but the foot traffic was pitifully low. I really couldn't continue shopping, so I headed to Tongan City to take a look. Still, nothing. It felt like a wasted trip. China's economy continues to deteriorate, and every industry is in a slump. Countless factories, businesses, and physical stores have shut down. The same is true across the coastal cities that were once economically thriving. Due to the withdrawal of Taiwanese investors, Xiamen in Fujian province has fallen into economic decline and population loss. It's reported that about 5 million people have left. Once-bustling commercial and residential areas have become lifeless. Life is hard, and many people have simply chosen to give up. Today, let's talk about the decline of Xiamen. No one. Still no one. How did Zhenguoan end up like this? Rental and sublease ads are everywhere. Stores are closing one after another. We walked around and found that nearly one-third of the shops were shuttered. Zhenguoan used to be vibrant, full of homestays and popular street snacks. People from all over the country would come here to hang out. At its peak in 2019, it had nearly 120,000 visitors a day. But now, there's basically no one on the streets. Huliwanda used to be one of the most popular malls in Xiamen. Today is Thursday, and it's 6.45 p.m., dinnertime rush. Back in 2017 and 2018, the Golden Street area at Huliwanda was packed like a temple fair. But now, as you can see, there's no one around. This used to be a Vietnamese restaurant. That one is Xu Daxia, completely empty. My friend used to own this one here. It was called something like Drinks. I forget the name. But business was great back then. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, there were even lines outside. Now, on a Thursday night, there's barely anyone in Golden Street. It's nothing like before. It's not just a problem with individual stores or the mall's management. Xiamen's population has drastically shrunk, and there simply aren't enough people. Someone mentioned that Huliwanda was one of Xiamen's earliest malls, with heavy foot traffic in 2017 to 2019. I opened a store in Huliwanda back then, and business was booming. Customers came in nonstop. On weekends, we couldn't even keep up. At the time, it was nearly impossible to find a vacant shop in Wanda. No one would give up their space no matter how high the transfer fee. Now, this whole row is closed. This one is CauseBelly. Brothers, this place used to be packed every single day, not just weekends. Every day. You couldn't even queue. Now, it's all shut down. This fat grandma used to be Joe Mappo, now closed too. This used to be Tan Yaxue Hot Pot, a massive store, but it's also shut down. Once a big place like this closes, it's very hard to rent out again. I don't get it. This is Sunday night. Is this really the current state of Zengkuoan? Just a few years ago, it was crowded, full of energy, spanning several busy streets. Now, you can walk the entire area in just one street. What's going on? I can't understand it. It used to be so lively. We always wanted to come back here. What happened? It doesn't even look familiar anymore. So many places are closed. What's going on? Why are there so few people? I really don't understand. Of course, there are still a lot of local delicacies, some specialties you can buy. I saw on the internet that many stores in Kaitang Square had closed down. Today, we went to check it out in person. From this view, it's obvious that the store closure rate may have reached over 90 percent. I can't believe this used to be such a busy shopping mall in my memory. In just one or two years, it's become like this. Almost no foot traffic. Kaitang is quite central in Xiamen. There used to be more than 60,000 migrant workers living in Kaitang Village. But after the collective demolition of Kaitang in March 2021, the crowds disappeared. Although the village has been demolished, children from nearby schools still come here to play after class. I think that's the only sign of life left in Kaitang Square. This is Haokalai. A lot of people must have visited this store back in the day. The only relatively large restaurant, Laoxiangqin, is still open. RT Mart is still operating as usual, but the foot traffic is definitely not what it used to be. Do you know how the current unemployment wave differs from the layoff wave in our parents' generation? Most unemployed people today are burdened with high debts. Mortgages, car loans, and a lot of credit card debt. They're confused about the future and unable to find work. This kind of invisible pressure is mentally torturing. But during our parents' layoff era, most families had no debts. As long as you were willing to set aside your pride and work, you could support your family. Now, if you're unemployed, even putting pride aside doesn't help. You can't even cover a fraction of your debt. So unemployment today is truly frightening. Don't you think so? You might not believe what's happening in Xiamen. Since the Chinese New Year, many people still haven't found a job. Some companies have even laid off more than half of their employees. In today's climate, if you delayed getting married, you've won. If you didn't buy a house three years ago, you've won. If you didn't start a business, you've also won. Basically, the people who have been lying flat these past few years have ended up winning. Those who tried to strive have lost and ended up deeply in debt. The beauty salon downstairs in our community has changed owners three times in a single year. There are for-sale and for-lease signs everywhere. Even people in our industry with over 10 years of experience have changed careers. I don't understand. Why is the economy this bad? Why can't any business succeed now? Do you know the reason? How did it come to this? Oh, my God. Today is Sunday and still no one is here. Many restaurants on the food floor have closed and that entire row is now full of stalls. When a restaurant shuts down, the equipment is often sold at just 10% of its value, if you can even find a buyer. Tables and chairs, too. And you can't take the interior decor with you. Look here, because this place closed early, the equipment couldn't be moved and the mall won't let you take it out. In cases like this, the boss loses all the investment. If too much food was stored, it just spoils when the shop closes. Hi, everyone. Welcome to Xiamen. We are now at the Sandship Outlets commercial plaza across from Wutong Wharf. It's deserted here, with barely any customers. Only two buses come here, No. 6 and No. 82. I don't know why such a large commercial plaza was built in a place like this. Let's walk around and see what's on sale and whether it's lively. Let's go. Not bad. Many stores are offering discounts. 10%, 20%, even up to 40% off. The entire mall is beautifully decorated, but barely anyone is here. The blogger mentioned it's now easy to rent a place in Xiamen. In the past, housing near the airport was in short supply and impossible to rent. Now, landlords are even reducing rents, which was unheard of before. I really have a feeling. Xiamen's population seems smaller this year. I already felt it last year in 2024, but this year it's just too obvious. I live in a village in the city on the island, and I don't feel like there are any people around. It's now the end of March, and April is almost here. Logically, those who have jobs lined up should have arrived by now. I don't know what the rental situation is like in your city, but here, it's like this. The unit next to me and the one across from me are both one-bedroom apartments. One has been empty since last summer vacation, vacant since September, and it's still empty now.