‘Zero covid’ has many in China dreaming of leaving
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By most accounts, Zhu Aitao has it all. Now she is ready to leave it all behind.
The 35-year-old, originally from China’s Shandong province, lives in the richest district of Beijing with her husband — her high school sweetheart — and their two young children. They own their home and two cars, a BMW and a Lexus. They both have stable jobs: Zhu manages public relations at a multinational auto company, while her husband writes for a government-owned journal.
Sick of their lives being dictated by pandemic measures — the frequent and sudden lockdowns, never-ending rounds of mass testing and constant uncertainty — Zhu hopes to move her family to Thailand as soon as possible and eventually immigrate to Europe or the United States.
“I feel like I’m having an emotional breakdown,” she said. “I feel powerless. It’s like an overbearing father telling you that this is all for your own sake. You just need to listen. Don’t ask questions.”
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