Beijing in the Time of SARS

Many, many Chinese are not leaving their homes. The streets, usually clogged with traffic in cars and buses, on bikes and foot, are empty. A 25 minute taxi ride suddenly takes five. Cabbies I’ve asked say they are down to 20% of normal fares. Restaurants are empty and many have limited their menus—I have never before seen an empty restaurant in China; as a culture, Chinese eat out far more often than we do.

The tourist industry is non-existent. By Friday the Great Wall Sheraton, one of Beijing’s major hotels, had only seven occupied rooms. The silk market, a back alley market of pirated and copied goods (North Face, Timberland, Polo, Mont Blanc, Rolex… all the current rage) and a favorite spot of tourists and Chinese alike, usually teems with people. Now, the place is nearly empty—about a third of vendors have packed up and left, and those that remain are asking tiny prices for their goods. What cost 20 dollars a week ago costs 4 now.

I spent the weekend antiques shopping, a favorite weekend pastime. Western dealers who stock up here every few months would apparently rather let their stock get low than venture to Beijiing. So prices are bargain basement low. Five hundred year old Yuan dynasty chests (priced around 1000 US dollars a month ago) can be had for 400. XinJiangese rugs, usually 12-1400 sell for 600-700.

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