My trip to Hainan province was meant to be an island escape, but turned into another Covid-19 debacle
Sanya was a much-needed reprieve after getting through Shanghai’s lockdown. Until it wasn’t.
Pristine beaches, blue skies, and an infinite supply of coconuts greeted us upon arrival in Hainan, China’s southernmost province. It was everything I expected from the tropical paradise and more. We were charmed by an up-and-coming DJ performing at her first big festival in Sanya, an all-women’s surfing competition in Wanning, and a fascinating “floating” fishing village in Lingshui. And then the pandemic caught up with us.
I had arrived in Sanya on July 28, joining over 80,000 tourists enjoying the last remnants of the summer holiday (many reportedly coming from Shanghai, as I had, judging from inbound flight numbers). Along with three colleagues from TWOC, I was on a 14-day mission to shoot videos promoting local tourism. The project had already been delayed for months due to the various Covid restrictions.
Nicoco Chan is the multimedia editor of TWOC.
