An emptied-out Beijing during coronavirus

Society & Culture
Andrew Braun

In many ways, the coronavirus has brought Beijing to a halt, as restaurants and bars have been instructed to take a few days off this week, with people generally continuing to avoid public spaces. But that doesn’t mean the city is dead. Subways are working, banks and malls are open (for at least part of the day), street cleaners are still on duty, and many everyday people are continuing to live life as normal. Here are some scenes from this past week in China’s capital.

An empty subway car with news about the coronavirus on the TV.
Security staff operate as normal in the subway, though wearing heavy-duty masks.
A cleaner disinfects a glass door at Beixinqiao subway station.
A lonely security officer protects an empty subway car in Beijing.
A transfer hall between eastbound and westbound trains in Guomao in the central business district, usually one of the busiest stations in the Beijing subway system.
Dongsi Station, another transfer station that is eerily empty — but clean.
Wangjing SOHO: Empty offices on a Monday.
A masked grandmother walking back home with her groceries.
An elderly Beijinger practicing tai-chi in Beihai Park.
A masked guard watches over the deserted tourist street of Wangfujing.
A masked sanitation worker stands alone in Wangfujing.
A grandpa and daughter in Beijing sheltered from the elements in a three-wheel motorized scooter.
Two people walk across the ice in a basically-empty Beihai Park, a popular spot for both tourists and locals.
Wangfujing.
A Beijinger and two masked police near Houhai.
A father and daughter, masked, walk through central Beijing.
A bit of normalcy: locals buying bread from a street vendor near the Drum and Bell Tower.
A bit of normalcy as locals play ping-pong in the park at sundown.

Also see:

Scenes from a snowy Beijing during coronavirus

Andrew Braun is an American photographer, videographer, and writer based in Beijing. He has worked with teams from Nike, Intel, and Vogue, to Agence France Presse and USA Today. When not working, you can find him in Beijing’s hutongs walking his 14-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Barney.

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