| A dozen people seated around a large table | | | | camp in half and might curtail its fall program. Shane, |
| awkwardly picked up morsels of food from a | | | | which is owned by a British chain, advertises that it |
| revolving platter and sipped from tall bottles of | | | | provides native English speakers. |
| room-temperature beer. There was a joyless quality | | | | "If we can't fulfill that promise, we have nothing to |
| to the evening as the dozen or so assembled guests, | | | | sell," Wan said. "We're losing a lot of money." |
| Britons, Canadians and Americans who had come to | | | | The new regulations are a disappointment to those |
| China to teach English, contemplated their imminent | | | | who predicted that being the Summer Olympics host |
| departure on account of visa restrictions. | | | | city would speed Beijing's transformation into a |
| "I tell them not to say they're being deported," said | | | | modern, more cosmopolitan city. |
| Diana Wan, manager of the Shane English School. | | | | "You have sort of an Olympic lockdown. The Chinese |
| "This is Chinese government policy. There is nothing | | | | have decided they can't leave anything to chance so |
| we can do about it until after the Olympics." | | | | they've shut down a lot of Beijing," said Jeremy |
| As the Summer Olympics draw near, foreigners are | | | | Goldkorn, a media analyst who has lived here for 12 |
| discovering that the welcome mat they had | | | | years. |
| expected is being abruptly rolled up. Thousands of | | | | Instead of the crush anticipated for the Olympics, |
| foreigners have been kicked out before today's | | | | which begin Aug. 8, tourism is sharply down. The |
| deadline as a result of tough new visa policies. Those | | | | number of overseas visitors to Beijing in May was |
| forced to leave include nondiplomatic support staffers | | | | down 14.2% from May of last year. |
| at embassies, migrant workers, freelance writers, | | | | The Chinese government has typically tightened |
| artists and students. | | | | controls around important events such as Communist |
| Exactly how many foreigners must leave China | | | | Party congresses. But the Olympics, given their |
| remains unclear because the government has | | | | international nature, were supposed to be different, |
| released minimal information about the changes in visa | | | | attracting up to 500,000 foreigners in what was billed |
| policy. About 110,000 foreigners are registered as | | | | as a giant coming-out party to announce China's |
| Beijing residents, and about the same number are | | | | arrival on the world scene. |
| living and working in the capital with tourist, student | | | | "It is very disappointing. There has been a lot of |
| or investor visas. Many of those visas expired at the | | | | exhilaration about the Olympics. We thought tourists |
| end of June and will not be renewed. | | | | would be coming, restaurants would be booked, |
| At the same time, most Chinese embassies and | | | | people would be making a lot of money," said Jen |
| consulates are no longer issuing visas with more than | | | | Lin-liu, an American food writer and owner of Black |
| 30-day validity and prospective tourists now have to | | | | Sesame, a cooking school in Beijing. |
| show hotel reservations, plane tickets and other | | | | The Olympics are not the only factor. The outbreak |
| documentation. | | | | of violent protests in Tibet and neighboring regions in |
| Among the persona non grata are many young | | | | March clearly rattled the Chinese government and has |
| Westerners attracted by low rents, a lively cafe and | | | | led to heightened security across the country. May's |
| bar scene and the buzz of living behind the former | | | | magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Sichuan province scared |
| Iron Curtain, qualities that made Prague, the capital of | | | | off tourists who might have hoped to combine a |
| the Czech Republic, an expatriate favorite last | | | | panda-sighting trip to western China with their |
| decade. | | | | Olympic travels. |
| "We wanted to get into the way of life here," said | | | | Among the businesses that are suffering are hotels. |
| 24-year-old Natan Doyon, who moved from Britain | | | | As of late May, Beijing's five-star hotels were only |
| last year with his girlfriend to teach English to Chinese | | | | 77% booked and four-star hotels were 44% booked |
| children. He says his pupils were so upset when he | | | | for the Olympic period, according to the city's |
| told them he couldn't renew his visa that they | | | | tourism bureau. |
| begged, "Don't go. We'll help you hide." | | | | Both Chinese and foreign companies have been |
| He and his girlfriend now plan to try Vietnam. | | | | forced to cancel meetings and business trips because |
| So many English teachers are being forced to leave | | | | of problems getting visas. The Chinese Foreign |
| that many of the private language schools, the rage | | | | Ministry has virtually eliminated the multiple-entry visas |
| lately for children of the upwardly mobile, are closing | | | | that used to allow foreign businesspeople based in |
| down for the summer. With only three native English | | | | Hong Kong to commute several times weekly into |
| speakers left on its staff, Shane is cutting its summer | | | | the mainland. |