Residents of the locked-down Chinese city of Xi'an are being forced to barter for food and essentials, while a second city has been put under restrictions following the discovery of just a handful of COVID-19 cases.
Social media posts from residents of Xi'an, who have been confined indoors since December 23, show them swapping things like cigarettes and skincare products for food.
The lockdown initially allowed people to leave their home every two days to shop for basic goods, but it has since been tightened, with rules varying in each district, according to the severity of the outbreak.
In recent days, some people in Xi'an could be seen shopping at pop-up markets, served by workers in head-to-toe white protective suits.
However, people living in the epicentre of the outbreak are not allowed to go out at all, and must have goods delivered to them.
"I'm starving to death, there is no food, but my community won't let me go out, help me!" said another.
Some have created bartering groups on WeChat so residents can trade freely within quarantined buildings.
A video that went viral on Chinese social media shows a man trading a Chinese cabbage, a carrot and a tomato for two packs of cigarettes.
"The most reliable hard currency in Xi'an now is the cigarette," a Weibo user wrote.
In another video, guards can be seen attacking a man who had tried to deliver steamed buns to family members.
The guards later apologised to the man and were each fined 200 yuan ($44), according to a Xi'an police statement posted on Weibo.
'Five eggs for a piano lesson'
Some Xi'an residents have begun offering services such as tutoring in exchange for food.
One resident offered a one-hour maths tutorial for three potatoes.
"Five eggs for a piano lesson," another posted.
The local government has begun providing free food to households.
A resident posted photos of rice, cooking oil and a bag of vegetables while offering praise for the workers who delivered them.
"I was so touched," they said.
"It's very cold out there. They wouldn't be able to finish [the distribution work] until 3am or 4am."
Another city under lockdown
Meanwhile, another city in Henan province in northern China has been locked down after the discovery of just three asymptomatic COVID cases.
Authorities in Xuchang, which has jurisdiction over the city of Yuzhou, said in a statement that "the source of the virus is unknown" and "the number of cases is unclear".
Authorities have banned vehicles from Yuzhou's roads unless they have clearance, and restricted shopping to only essential supplies.
'There may be supply pressure in communities'
Stringent measures to stem outbreaks are common in China, which still maintains a policy of stamping out every COVID-19 case long after many other countries have opted to try to live with the virus.
The Chinese people have largely complied with the tough measures throughout the pandemic, but complaints have cropped up over tough policies, despite the risk of retaliation from communist authorities.
Zhang Canyou, an expert with the state council's epidemic prevention and control team, conceded that "there may be supply pressure in communities".
But he was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying residents would be looked after.
China's "zero tolerance" strategy of quarantining every case, mass testing and trying to block new infections from abroad helped it to contain previous outbreaks.
However, the lockdowns are far more stringent than anything seen in the West, and they have exacted a tremendous toll on the economy and the lives of millions of people.
The lockdowns in Yuzhou and Xi'an come at a particularly sensitive time, as China prepares to hold the Beijing Winter Olympics, which open on February 4.
ABC/wires
