Two Opposite Worlds: The Boom of Covid Testing Services and The Destruction of People's Livelihood

Xi Jinping Banner Ripped on a Flyover in Beijing Recently, on a bridge somewhere in Beijing, a man ripped off a giant official banner there, and the part that was torn off happened to be the character's Xi Jinping. Netizens have commented, saying, Where is the bridge guard? Negligence. The person should be fired. The video shows a large banner hanging on a Beijing flyover that reads, guided by Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Strive harder. A man tried to rip off the banner on the flyover. He finally managed to remove the character's Xi Jinping. According to media reports, before the 20th National Congress on October 13th, two white cloth banners with red characters suddenly appeared on a bridge in Beijing. One red. No nucleic acid testing but food. No lockdowns but freedom. No lies but dignity. No cultural revolution but reform. No leaders but votes. No slaves but citizens. The other red. School strike. Work strike. Strike against the dictatorial traitor Xi Jinping. The person who hung the banner is known as Peng Zhaizhou. The Beijing authorities are terrified by this unexpected event, and they built booths at many of Beijing's flyovers and manned them day and night to watch the bridges. China's zero COVID policy has led to two opposite worlds, the boom of nucleic acid testing and the destruction of people's livelihoods. After the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the outbreak has resurged in many cities in China. Local governments have stepped up their control measures which have not only led to humanitarian disasters but also devastated the Chinese economy. An online video shows a crowd of people waiting for nucleic acid tests in Guangzhou on October 28th. Without negative nucleic acid results, their health codes will change colour, making it difficult for them to get around, losing what little freedom they have. However, other than nucleic acid testing sites, major commercial areas in Guangzhou are empty, with most stores closed for business. The owner of a store on the pedestrian street of Beijing Road in Guangzhou told the media. There is basically no business now, and many storefronts are empty. A lot of them have quit. They can't go on. And many of the shops here are difficult to rent out even at no transfer fee to others. According to Bloomberg, from January to September 2022, the budget deficit at all levels of the Chinese government reached a record high of 7.16 trillion RMB. Under the zero-Covid policy, many places' subway passenger traffic, people's travel, and cargo volume by sea and land deteriorated in October. China's economy is entering a slowdown in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Welle reports that the war between Russia and Ukraine, the real estate crisis, record youth unemployment, and an epidemic lockdown with no end in sight have not only taken a psychological toll on the people but have also hit China's economy hard. The endless control measures have led to a build-up of public discontent, and more and more people are revolting. On the night of October 27th, a chorus of a pop song was heard over the fenced-off Guangdong University of Technology. It was sung by the students on campus to voice their discontent. A few days ago, a large number of videos and photos surfaced on the internet. They have shown dozens of people in the city of Lanzhou were quarantined in an outdoor parking lot with simple beds at night. There are more than 20 beds placed at intervals in the open air, and the people only have little supplies like quilts and bottles of water. The weather forecast shows that the lowest temperature at night in the area has been as low as 4 degrees Celsius. There is also a video that shows a number of quarantined people placed in a public men's restroom urinal area sleeping on the floor of the restroom at night.