Certainty in an Uncertain Time: A Diplomat's China Trip During Covid-19

It was early 2023 in China. The air was still cold, but you could feel a quiet sense of long-awaited ease floating through it.

At that time, inbound tourism had almost come to a complete halt. Flights were rare, visas were nearly impossible to get, and most travel agencies had suspended their international business. Over the past three years, many guides, drivers, and hotel partners had changed jobs or disappeared, and the entire supply chain seemed to have hit the pause button.

It was against this backdrop that an email quietly arrived in my inbox—a client from Venezuela wanted to plan a cultural trip from Beijing to Xi'an, and then to Shanghai.

Special Trip During the Pandemic

I didn't hesitate. I immediately created a detailed itinerary and a price quote for him, following our standard procedures. Most of my peers were no longer taking orders from foreign visitors, but I've always believed that as long as someone has a need, there is still hope. Still, as I sent the plan, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Did he know that it was almost impossible to get a tourist visa for China at that time? I sent a follow-up email asking if he was aware of the current entry policies.

A few days later, his reply took my breath away: "I'm Venezuelan diplomat, Charge d' Affairs of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Malaysia, and we not need China visa."

In that moment, I felt both surprised and relieved. Surprised by his identity, but also grateful that I hadn't treated his inquiry carelessly because of the general industry standstill. His diplomatic immunity allowed him to enter the country on official business at a time when borders were still closed. My commitment to professionalism—not lowering my service standards even during the industry's deepest winter—had finally paid off.

Providing Certainty in an Uncertain Time

The real challenge was just beginning. After three years of the pandemic, many of our once-reliable suppliers were no longer in business. The phone numbers of familiar guides were disconnected, our long-term transportation provider had changed owners, and even the reception process at some scenic spots had changed. I needed to rebuild a reliable service chain from the ground up.

I couldn't simply rely on my old contacts. I reached out to friends who had lived in Beijing for years and asked them to help me verify guide qualifications, test hotel services, and confirm if they had experience serving foreign guests and a proper health screening process. Every step was about rebuilding the path.

The trip finally began. He entered China through Beijing, with his first stop being the Forbidden City. That morning, the snow in the Forbidden City had just melted, and the red walls and golden roofs looked especially magnificent in the winter sun. At the Summer Palace, Kunming Lake was covered in a thin layer of ice, and the distant Yuquan Mountain was a clear outline, as if we had traveled back to the imperial city a hundred years ago.

In Xi'an, when he walked into the Terracotta Army Pit 1, the hall was not crowded. The massive army stood silently under the lights. He stood on the viewing platform, his eyes scanning the face of every single terracotta soldier, as if he were looking for some kind of ancient order and strength.

In the evening, he drank a hot bowl of hulatang (spicy soup) at an old teahouse near the city wall, watching the setting sun turn the ancient wall golden. The next morning, he climbed the Ming City Wall, rode a bike for a while, and then walked. A breeze blew from the distant Zhongnan Mountains, carrying the scent of the Loess Plateau.

The final stop was Shanghai. By the time he arrived at Pudong Airport, the city was already lit up. He stood by the railing on the Bund, the skyscrapers of Lujiazui across the river sparkling with lights, and the Oriental Pearl Tower shining brightly in the night. The boats went back and forth on the Huangpu River, and the river breeze was cool. He wasn't in a hurry to take pictures; instead, he walked slowly along the riverside promenade, from the historical buildings to a modern art museum.

The next day, he visited Yu Garden, crossed the Zigzag Bridge, and remained calm even in the crowds, occasionally stopping to watch an old man selling sugar paintings or to listen to a piece of improvised folk music.

Throughout the trip, even though I wasn't with him, I paid attention to the feedback at every point.

After his trip, he sent me some feedback: "All the guides are professionals (some better than others, of course) and I was well attended."

To me, this simple sentence was worth more than gold. It meant that even during the industry's most difficult time, we did not give up our commitment to quality. In a chaotic environment with limited resources, we still managed to pave a smooth and reliable road for a diplomat who had traveled from far away.