Before getting in to quarantine, I first had to apply for the work visa for China and then flew from England to China.
The 14-day quarantine had begun. I was exhausted from travelling and looked forward to settling in my new room. I loved the decor of the hotel. 
I also liked my room especially for the view that I had. It was a view of a highway and buildings nearby. The hotel was called the Holiday Inn which was located in Chengdu, China.
The hotel room amenities consisted of: a TV, 2 double beds, Air conditioning and fan, fast Wi-Fi, towels, mini-fridge, kettle, tea, bottles of water, hand and body soap, shampoo, toothpaste and a toothbrush, robes and slippers, in-room phone, menu for daily food provided. There was a choice for Chinese or Western food. 
The other option was that you could order food from outside of the hotel but only after the first test was received back as a negative result.
Unlike other people’s experiences, we were not charged for the hotel when we checked in. We had to pay at the end of our stay. It cost 350 RMB per night plus food.
When you do go to collect things from outside your room, the rule was to always wear a mask.
On the first day, I was provided with a letter that I had to sign. It explained the process of the daily routine and that I must abide by the rules. The daily routine consisted of having temperature checks in the morning and in the afternoon. Breakfast was usually provided around 5am and left on the door handle then lunch at 12pm and dinner was after 5pm.
Due to the language barrier I used to communicate with them via WeChat so it definitely helped to make the communication much easier. The staff at the hotel were fabulous as they were super accommodating and helped to make my stay very comfortable. I never felt neglected as they were always there to provide a helping hand. Anything that was needed for the room was quickly sent to the door so it was overall a stress-free experience.
My advice is to bring things that you enjoy doing even if that is exercise stuff or games. Also, bring snacks or any type of favorite foods that you may not be able to have access to while at the hotel. I brought my favourite cookies and candies from the UK. I also would order from Taobao or fruit from the local market which delivered. Make sure that your phone has a local SIM card / telephone number.
3 meals were too much for me so I ended up only having breakfast and dinner. Dinner was my favourite meal of the day. The food overall was very delicious.
On the 7th day they did a blood test and on the 12th day, they did an oral test.
For the first couple of days it was a bit challenging but I used meditation and yoga throughout the time. It truly helped me to stay calm and make the best out of the situation.
On the 12th day, I was given a code that I had to scan and add the details of where I was travelling.
On the final day of my quarantine the checkout was at 1 p.m. I went downstairs to the front desk and was provided with the outstanding charges which included the room and meal charges per day. It came to 5,800 RMB and I paid via WeChat. The other options where to pay via Alipay or credit card. After making payment, I was guided to a table where I collected my passport and was provided with a paper to show my test results and a letter explaining that I had successfully completed the 14-day quarantine. I was free to leave so I ordered a DiDi and headed back to the airport to continue with my final destination to Shanghai. 
I would recommend for anyone who’s travelling to try to arrive in the place where you’re going to be living and not doing a connecting flight. Many provinces have implemented an additional 7 to 14-day quarantine if you have travelled from province to province. I’ve shared my experience but remember every province and hotel will vary in regards to the rules and the procedure of how things are done.
I’m deeply grateful for the Facebook group called, Foreigners Stuck Outside of China and the WeChat groups where people took the time out to share valuable information to help others. Without these groups, I would have probably made many errors and quickly became discouraged. I wish you all a very safe and smooth journey back to China. I hope my articles can help as a guide.
About the Author: Stevonna Smith
Hi how did the flight booking work for you? Did you book to fly to Beijing or just straight to Chengdu from the UK. I am unsure how to organise the flights.
The flight booking was honestly the most stressful part. Try to book it early to get a decent price. Also, I’d recommend to book with a Chinese airline via their website as it’s a lower chance for the flight to be cancelled and the price may be cheaper. I booked with Air China by searching for flights from London, UK to Shanghai, China. The flight was supposed to stop in Beijing but I was aware that international flights at the time were being sent to other provinces so I ended up doing my quarantine in Chengdu. I called the airline the day before quarantine finished and they rescheduled me on a direct flight to Shanghai without any additional charges.
Hi Stevonna, I hope you are well.
My name is Quresh and I am arriving to China next week.
I have couple of queries, and if you can assist me on those ,would be great.
1. As we only get visa for 90 days which is business, do immigration officials ask any questions related to it and what is the best answer?
2. Do You have to provide return ticket within 90 days?
3. What is the best VPN service to use in China?
I will appreciate your response ASAP please.
Hi Quresh,
Sure, I’m happy to answer…
1) In my invitational letter, my school explains that they plan on changing it into a work visa once I arrive. There were no questions in relation to it.
2) No return ticket is needed. I only purchased an one way ticket.
3) I’d recommend Astrill. Set it up prior to arrival so you’ll have no issues or worries.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions then let me know.
Hi there, thanks for this.
Can one quarantine with a friend, like if a friend and I are travelling together?
How does one obtain a sim in these circumstances?
Hi Melindi,
I don’t think it’s allowed. I’ve heard that couples (married/unmarried) have had problems trying to be in one room. Maybe if you give a valid reason then they may hopefully consider it. People tend to have different experiences so give it a try but be prepared.
I don’t think you’ll have access to shops once you arrive at the airport. If you do then it maybe once you arrive at baggage claim,
you can ask someone. I’ve heard that people ordered a Chinese sim from Amazon prior to travelling or Taobao once you arrive. Maybe the people at the hotel can help you to order a sim card and have it delivered to the hotel. It depends on the province and airport that you arrive at.
Hope that helps but unfortunately I only heard that information from others who were in a similar situation.
Hi Stevonna,
Thank you so much.
When you say Invitational letter (do you mean PU letter)?
I will contact you once I am in China.
Have you gone back to teaching?
Hi Quresh,
You’re welcome.
No, I mean the Invitational letter that your job will provide which explains the purpose of the trip.
I haven’t started teaching yet but I’ll head to work after the holiday and begin.
Great! I look forward to hearing from you and I’m sure everything will go smoothly. Let me know if you have any questions going forward.
Hi Stevonna,
I am in Shanghai and started my quarantine.
So far so good.
Hi Quresh,
Great news! So happy to know that you made it safely to Shanghai. Just keep busy and the time will go by quickly especially when you start approaching the middle of your quarantine. I hope it was a good flight and overall smooth process. Let me know if you have any other questions or advice. 🙂
Yes sure. Thank you for your articles, it actually was quite helpful or I would have been lost.
What city you are in currently?
Can we swap WeChat ID, if it’s ok for you?
My ID is rbluelover (It is not my suggestion , it is my school’s administrator’s spare ID 😉
Hi Quresh,
So happy that the articles helped. I’m in Shanghai.
Sure, I’ll add you now.
Hi Stevonna its Lee here, what I would like to know is were you requested to start quarantine at the first destination where your flight landed or its you who chose to quarantine at Chengdu Hotel before you could reach Shanghai, if so how can you advice someone coming to teach in China for the first time? they would probably have no Money to pay for hotel on their wechat or is there quarantine facilities that can be provided without one paying?
Hi Lee,
Yes, you must complete your quarantine in the first country that you arrive in within China and there is no choice in the hotel that is assigned to you. If you don’t have WeChat then don’t worry. Make sure that you have a credit card on hand for the charges.
If your airplane ticket already includes your final destination then you can call the airlines to reschedule your flight to Shanghai once you are about to finish your quarantine. Just an fyi, you may have to do another 7 to 14 days of quarantine since you are travelling from another province and not flying directly to Shanghai. You can freely go out but you may not be allowed to begin work until you take another test for COVID and have completed the 7 or 14 day quarantine period. Check with your workplace to find out more information.
Let me know if you have more questions. It sounds like a lot to do but it’s very well organized so don’t worry.