London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

0:00
0:00

‘Apocalypse mentality’, ‘revenge spending’ and an exodus in newly free Shanghai

Across Shanghai people revelled in their newfound freedom, for however long it lasted. Some made beelines for their favourite food outlets and luxury retailers in what’s been dubbed “revenge spending”. Hongqiao railway station was packed with people eager to leave after getting trapped in the city by the snap lockdown. Others milled around, just enjoying the simple pleasure of being outside.
“At 0:00am on 1 June Shanghai ended the lockdown. We screamed while driving on the road, and we went to have a kebab, get a drink, and see the Huangpu river,” wrote one social media user who filmed his friends’ expedition through the town.

There have been roadbumps. A viral video showed previously trapped visitors to Shanghai stopping at highway checkpoints, finally able to go home, only to have fearful tollbooth operators slam windows shut when hearing where they came from.

On Friday, reports emerged of long and frustrating queues at PCR testing stations. Shanghai is among a number of cities to establish routine testing of residents, requiring they get negative results every 72 hours to maintain their “green” health code which allows freedom of movement.

Restaurants are still closed for in-house dining. The toll of the lockdown on small and medium businesses is not yet clear, but topline statistics show retail sales and production figures plummeted by 40-65% during the two-month shutdown.

Eyes now are on other major cities, like Beijing, which avoided completely shutting down by enacting community-level lockdowns, public transport shutdowns, and district-wide work from home orders, which curbed people’s movement. Statements and speeches from officials, including China’s president, Xi Jinping, have made it clear the government is locked on to its zero-Covid policy, despite the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant and sub-variants, and senior world health officials saying it is not sustainable.

The ruling Communist party’s People’s Daily newspaper published a commentary on Thursday in which it said the zero-Covid policy was most appropriate for China’s situation.

“Great, phased results have been achieved in the defence of Shanghai,” it said.

There had been some silver linings, as the punishing restrictions and chaotic administration of rules and delivery disruptions fostered solidarity. One Shanghai student, Zuxia, said the time allowed him and his parents to foster the best relationship they’d had since he was a teenager. “But, when Shanghai finally ended its lockdown, I was still very happy to see friends offline!”

Many residents, especially among expats, left during the lockdown if they were able. Others, like Daphne, are now intent on moving away. She says the last two months made everyone “cherish the little things in life more”.

“I’ve seen a lot of neighbourhoods getting closer together [during the lockdown], like my parents’ generation living in the village when they were kids. That experience was nice, but it’s the only good thing about it.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×