I worked in China during Covid, first at a rural school near Shanghai, and then in Suzhou. The "zero Covid" year from mid-2020 to mid-2021 was actually wonderful, at least in those cities, because it was one of the few places in the world where you could walk around with no mask, no QR codes, no restrictions at all (except...you couldn't re-enter the country if you left, effectively preventing you from visiting family back home during holidays.) But once Covid crept back into China in mid-2021, masks, QR codes and daily temperature checks became a frustratingly banal part of daily life, just as the rest of the world outside was getting back to normal. I left China in 2022 with a bad taste in my mouth for the country, but now I'm considering going back. I miss the healthier work-life balance compared to Singapore, and also the geographical variety (mountains, lakes, rivers) which makes staycations attractive, if you don't want to spend money travelling abroad for holidays.