Shanghai - The African Mirror

Nov

2023

Halloween revellers throng Shanghai, some wearing costumes seen as a protest to China policies

HALLOWEEN revellers thronged central Shanghai late at night, with some dressed in costumes that poked fun at China's strict COVID-19 curbs in a rare showcase of free expression as police looked on. Celebrations in the Chinese financial hub began on the weekend, culminating on Tuesday in a large crowd of mostly young people that gathered around a popular bar area, according to onlookers and social media posts. While most attendees did not dress up and many of those who did wore outfits like monsters and superheroes, some attracted attention on social media for costumes such as blue and white hazmat…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

Hawkers back on China’s streets as economic recovery teeters

WORLD

WANG Chunxiang pushes a cart around busy areas of Shanghai, playing cat and mouse with the authorities as she tries to sell pastries. The jobs she could get do not pay enough for her to make ends meet. "Salaries are too low," said the 43-year-old, after serving a customer steamed sweet rice cakes from a wok. "At my age, without much knowledge, I could only earn 5,000 to 6,000 yuan ($868) per month as a cleaning lady. Shanghai rent is so expensive. Even low-quality homes are 2,000-3,000 yuan," said Wang, who recently resumed hawking after a six-year break. She can…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Excitement, defiance for young Chinese in COVID ‘tipping point’ protests

WORLD

JAMES POMFRET and MARTIN QUIN POLLARD WHEN Yang, a Shanghai office worker, saw video clips of a burning building in western China, a disaster in which 10 people were killed, she said she could not contain her anger over tough COVID-19 measures three years into the pandemic. Watching a World Cup soccer match in a Shanghai bar two days later with her boyfriend, she spotted calls on WeChat, China's ubiquitous messaging app, for a public gathering to mourn the victims. She rushed over by bicycle to attend. "Things reached a tipping point, we had to come out," Yang, 32, who declined to…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Shanghai to extend lockdown of 26 million people as it reviews COVID test results

WORLD

SHANGHAI will remain under lockdown as it reviews results of an exercise to test all of its 26 million residents for COVID-19, authorities said. The city began its two-stage lockdown on March 28, initially in Shanghai's eastern districts, and later expanded to cover the whole city. The curbs, which have massively disrupted daily life and business operations in China's financial hub, were initially scheduled to end at 5 a.m. local time (9 p.m. GMT) on Tuesday. "The city will continue to implement seal and control management and strictly implement 'staying at home', except for medical treatment," the city government said…