By YUJIE ZHOU for Mission Local
Even before the last customers stagger out of the nearby Japantown mall, a line begins to form outside the nearby Chinese Consulate. As the night progresses, tents go up on the sidewalk in front of the consulate at 1450 Laguna St., just off of Geary Boulevard, folding chairs come out, thermoses full of hot water are unscrewed. Many hours remain before the consulate opens at 9:30 a.m. The line is a mix of agents and individuals waiting for one of 100 to 150 tickets handed out each morning for the privilege of submitting a visa application. For three years, it was impossible for almost anyone with a foreign passport to travel to China. But on Feb. 3, consulates again began issuing visas. The catch? The consulate in San Francisco will only accept in-person visa requests. So, night after night, those anxious to travel for business or to visit critically ill family members join the line — the earlier, the better. On Sunday, Danny Zhao arrived at 6:30 p.m. to claim the pole position — first in line. Zhao’s well aware that to win the right to submit an application, you must be one of the first 150 people in line, though occasionally only the first 100 in line make it inside. Around sunrise, arguments and even physical confrontations break out as some individuals try cutting in line. But everyone’s No. 1 issue is … No. 1. “The bathroom situation is the worst,” says Kun, 89th in line on Sunday at 11:30 p.m. There is a Safeway two blocks away, a bagel shop and a Starbucks, but all of those close by 11 p.m. “I’m a guy, I use the bushes,” said Alix Wong, who was 24th in line on Sunday. Still, he fantasizes about an outhouse.
