A Peek Into a Closed Shanghai – Our Colleague’s Lockdown Experience

With the ongoing lockdown procedures in Shanghai, companies and employees have faced multiple challenges in keeping their business running. In private too, Shanghai residents have experienced turbulent times. While it is possible to follow the situation through the media from the outside, we still wonder: how are our colleagues in Shanghai dealing with the lockdown situation? ln the following, the team of Ecovis Ruide China’s Shanghai office shares their personal experience with us and gives us an insight in how people actually deal with the local circumstances. The team has joint in different volunteering activities and worked together to make the best out of this situation.

Timeline

The „Hotpot“ Management 

On March 28, Shanghai announced that it would carry out PCR testing procedures in the areas around Huangpu River. These procedures received the nickname of „yuān yang guō“ („hotpot management“) by the Shanghai people. Bounded by the Huangpu River, the people of Pudong and Puxi can’t walk around each other. It looks like a hot pot from the map. At the beginning of April, there was a food shortage, with especially vegetables being in high demand. ECOVIS Ruide China organized food for employees and delivered them on April 6 to Pudong and on April 15 to Puxi. Employees were happy when they received the highly demanded products, as you can see in the following We-Chat posts.

ECOVIS Ruide China also donated vegetables and eggs to the elderly and poor households in the community.

Photo-Journal of ECOVIS Ruide’s Volunteering Activities

Pingwen HU (Senior Partner) is delivering medicine for the elderly.

Jane HOU (Senior Audit) and her husband volunteer together to distribute food to residents of the community.

Angel SHI (Senior Manager) is scanning QR codes for the PCR tests.

Angela XU (Senior consultant) is helping to maintain order in the community PCR testing procedure.

Laura LIU (ECOVIS International Marketing Board) assists in the distribution of foods.

„Shanghai Tuanzhang“ – Heroes of the Community

Since the lockdown measures, many people in Shanghai were in need of supplies such as food and medicine. In various communities, people worked together and purchased these goods in groups. The initiators of these group purchases are affectionately known as „Shanghai Tuanzhang“, and they have gained a lot of popularity in the community. Sia CAI (Senior Auditor) and Sariel CHENG (Senior Auditor) were the Shanghai Thuanzhang of ECOVIS Ruide. To distribute supplies to everyone, “Shanghai Tuanzhang” contacted suppliers, counted demands, processed orders, managed the logistics, matched materials, disinfected and sterilized goods. With their efforts, they helped to fulfill the urgent needs of their neighbors.

Enternainment during the Lockdown

How did our colleagues spend their time at home with the strict orders not to leave their houses? Ecovis Ruide organized online events for employees, such as an online Karaoke night and online sport courses.

In the recent upsurge of home-based fitness in China, our colleagues joined a workout-livestream by LIU Genghong, an internet star who streams fitness videos and has especially gained popularity during the lockdown.

With the announced easing of the lockdown measures in Shanghai, there is hope that the situation will slowly improve. Our colleagues in Shanghai are looking forward to returning to the office soon and meeting their clients face to face! For advice on certain tax procedures that are difficult to complete during the lockdown, you can check out this episode of „Ask an Expert“.

If your company needs help with any issues related to tax, accounting, auditing, and legal advice, don’t hesitate to contact Ecovis Richard Hoffmann in Heidelberg or the ECOVIS Ruide China team. Ecovis Richard Hoffman also provides supervising services for companies in China in accordance with the Chinese corporate law. Through years of expertise and specific knowledge of the German and Chinese business environment, Richard Hoffmann has successfully assisted countless companies.