On January 25, Beijing Capital International Airport looked deserted as people refrained from traveling amidst the coronavirus outbreak. The desolated view at one of the world’s busiest airports made it look like a ghost town. Beijing International Airport caters to over 95 million passengers annually. 

A 51-year-old teacher, Suzan Tokdemir, traveling from Hong Kong to Beijing Capital International Airport said, “It took me 15 minutes from getting off the plane to standing outside the front of the airport – that included collecting my luggage, passport check, fingerprint scan and more.” In addition, she said the staff disinfected the aircraft before taking off and after landing. And further asked everyone to report the symptoms if they experienced any. 

Suzan, who flew back to Beijing, said it was “spooky” to see the numbers dwindle on each of her connecting flights. She said, “Even at Hong Kong airport, almost everyone was masked. I had hired a driver to take me home, and he got stopped by masked police on the way back and had his temperature checked.” Surprisingly, even Beijing’s motorway was also empty. The coronavirus threat has forced everyone to stay indoors. 

Also Know: Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak: Everything about Coronavirus Symptoms, Impact, Precautions

In order to contain the virus, government officials have temporarily stopped all means of transport to and from Wuhan. Officials stated that they would also suspend visa and passport services for Chinese citizens until January 30. The travel ban comes just days before the biggest holiday on the Chinese calendar – Lunar New Year.

On the other hand, hundreds of airlines flying to, from and via Wuhan Province in Central China have canceled their flights. Moreover, these airlines have also waived off the cancelation and rescheduling charges. Owing to the coronavirus outbreak, multiple sectors including aviation, tourism, hospitality and stock markets have taken a huge hit.

The airlines include Air China, Capital Airlines, Emirates, British Airways, IndiGo, Air India, Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Chengdu Airlines, China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, China United Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Lucky Air, Hainan Airlines, OK Air, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Spring Airlines, Suparna Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, West Air, Urumqi Air, and Xiamen Air.

Apart from China, additional coronavirus cases have been identified in the US, Bangladesh, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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Advanced fingerprinting technology is at the core of the latest security program initiated by China’s Ministry of Public Security. This screening technology is first launched at Shenzhen’s Bao’an International Airport in the Guangdong Province today, February 10. It will be gradually rolled out at all international airports of China over the span of a year.

A directive from the Ministry of Public Security has mandated fingerprinting of foreign visitors in China. It also states that all foreign nationals will be screened through fingerprinting technology upon arrival in China. If any other biometric data would be collected from foreign passport holders, is not yet clarified by the government of China.

More than 76 million foreign nationals, mostly from the United States, South Korea, Japan and Russia, visited China in 2016, according to the official estimates from the Ministry of Public Security. And, this figure is expected to go up by the end of 2017.

Fingerprinting of foreign visitors in China is not a new security practice in Asia and beyond. It has become a common approach towards ensuring fool-proof security at international borders across the world. Several countries, including the United States, Japan and Malaysia, already started fingerprinting of foreign visitors.

The US State Department of Homeland Security has collected fingerprints of most foreign visitors since 2004, while Japan adopted the same practice for public safety and national security in 2007.

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China has planned to build the world’s deepest and largest high-speed railway station under the Great Wall, one of the most historic and grandest architectural wonders in the universe. The announcement of such a super ambitious plan has sent shocks of surprise across the rest of the world. The railway station will come up at Badaling, the most popular section of the Great Wall. Located 80km northwest of Beijing, Badaling is visited by thousands of tourists a day.

The upcoming railway station under the Great Wall will be linked to a new high-speed railway line between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, where the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in China. Evidently, this plan is part of China’s preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The size of the underground railway station at Badaling, with airport-like separate floors for arrival and departure, will be equal to the size of five soccer fields.

The Badaling underground railway station will be constructed over an area of 36,000m² and 102 meters below the surface of the Great Wall. The infrastructure will comprise two escalators, each with a height of 62 meters, forming a passage of free movement. The three-floor railway station underneath the Great Wall is expected to cut the travel time between major Olympic venues including Zhangjiakou.

The 174-km railway line being laid through the upcoming Badaling underground railway station will facilitate running of trains at a speed of 350kmh, on completion by 2019. The entire high-speed railway line will be laid underneath mountains using advanced technologies and ensuring no damage to the Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site in China.

Air travel to Beijing is a lot cheaper and happier these days. Thanks to iEagle.com for offering a good range of lower airfares for Beijing flights from USA!

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The statue of Mao Zedong seating on a chair with hands crossed in his lap and looking towards the infinity took nine months to be completed and cost 3 million Yuan. Many local entrepreneurs contributed to the fund for the massive construction.

The Chinese citizens are divided in their opinions about Mao Zedong, a most powerful communist revolutionary who ruled China with a heavy hand for three decades. He is blamed for the death of millions on the one hand and widely respected on the other.

His regime is considered one of the grimmest periods in the history of China due to a widespread famine in the late 1950s, which is said to have claimed 40 million lives as a consequence of Mao Zedong’s economic policies. Ironically, the statue of Mao Zedong has been erected in Henan, the center of the famine and the cradle of 3000-year old Chinese civilization. A few critics have questioned the construction of the statue in Henan, “Have they forgotten the Great Famine to build this?”

The towering statue of Mao Zedong in Henan has garnered compliments and criticism on SinaWeibo, a Chinese micro blogging site equivalent of Twitter. China’s current President Xi Jinping referred to him as one of the greatest leaders in the history of China. The extravagant cost of building the statue has irked some people, while some other have voiced the slogan “Long Live Chairman” while bowing their heads before the statue.

However, the controversial statue of Mao Zedong will add to the historic and heritage tourism of Henan where the ruins of several dynasties are lying scattered.

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