Getting confined was a shared experience in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. At one point, as many as 300 million people across 70 cities were in some form of a lockdown under the government’s strict zero-COVID policy. But imagine being trapped in a place you can’t leave. CNA correspondent Wei Du hears the heartbreaking stories of two people who found that the longest journey in the world, was the one to get back home.

01:45 – Susu’s holiday in Xinjiang begins
05:36 – Trapped and unable to leave
15:35 – China ends zero-COVID
17:04 – The situation in the Foxconn factory
20:09 – Jie’s long detour home

Written and produced by: Wei Du
Co-producer: Andersen Xia
Editors: Crispina Robert and Tiffany Ang
Social Media Editor: Joanne Chan
Sound Designer: Kenn Delbridge

Getting confined was a shared experience in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. At one point, as many as 300 million people across 70 cities were in some form of a lockdown under the government’s strict zero-COVID policy. But imagine being trapped in a place you can’t leave. CNA correspondent Wei Du hears the heartbreaking stories of two people who found that the longest journey in the world, was the one to get back home.
01:45 – Susu’s holiday in Xinjiang begins 05:36 – Trapped and unable to leave 15:35 – China ends zero-COVID 17:04 – The situation in the Foxconn factory 20:09 – Jie’s long detour home
Written and produced by: Wei Du Co-producer: Andersen Xia Editors: Crispina Robert and Tiffany Ang Social Media Editor: Joanne Chan Sound Designer: Kenn Delbridge

The views and opinions shared during this podcast series are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. or its group of companies.

The views and opinions shared during this podcast series are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. or its group of companies.

Red Wall: Inside China’s zero-COVID world

As the rest of the world opened doors in mid-2022 and moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, 300 million Chinese people remained in mandatory lockdown under China’s strict zero-COVID policy. At the height of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak, food became scarce, medicine was hard to come by and survival became a daily struggle.

Fuelled by anger and anxiety, people took to the streets in a rare show of protest, demanding an end to the lockdown. Within days, the Chinese government responded in an extraordinary policy u-turn. But for many, the sudden freedom could not erase the painful memories of being trapped.

Hear the emotional stories of those who still carry the scars in this 2-part CNA special.

As the rest of the world opened doors in mid-2022 and moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, 300 million Chinese people remained in mandatory lockdown under China’s strict zero-COVID policy. At the height of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak, food became scarce, medicine was hard to come by and survival became a daily struggle.

Fuelled by anger and anxiety, people took to the streets in a rare show of protest, demanding an end to the lockdown. Within days, the Chinese government responded in an extraordinary policy u-turn. But for many, the sudden freedom could not erase the painful memories of being trapped.

Hear the emotional stories of those who still carry the scars in this 2-part CNA special.

Longest journey in the world

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7740012e-e1bd-4f85-81c4-a7f50047134a/clips/01573fe5-a450-46f7-8639-b014005bfedb/transcript

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