An Indian’s tale of Xian’s lockdown makes headlines in China

Restaurateur and martial artiste Dev Raturi’s upbeat videos of life in lockdown have been very popular

Dev Raturi has not stepped out of his apartment for eight days. He could not do so even if he wished to — a white tape has been stuck outside his door to seal him inside, along with his wife and two young children. As of Saturday evening, he hasn’t been told when he can leave.

Mr. Raturi is one of millions of residents who have been in Xian, the provincial capital of northwestern Shaanxi and the city famed for the terracotta warriors.

Xian’s residents were initially confined to their apartment blocks in a lockdown starting December 23, allowed only to pick up deliveries and groceries without leaving their compounds. But with crossing 2,000 in a month — the highest of anywhere in China since the start of the pandemic in Wuhan — many of the city’s 13 million residents have been made to stay at home.