China’s Covid Zero Frontier

In Ruili, the next pandemic lockdown is always just a single case away

- John Liu with Claire Che

1 Fencing along the Ruili River, on the Chinese side of the border

2 Razor wire at a checkpoint near Ruili 

3 Swabbing travelers at Changshui International Airport, the main transport hub for Yunnan province

4 Phone screen showing a purple (abnormal) health code at a checkpoint

5 Public handwashing station in Ruili

6 The gem trade at Duo Bao Zhi Cheng market

7 Boxes of collected swab tests at a local community center

8 Checkpoint near Jiegao Port