Shanghaied

It was a classic Catch-22. I did not have a confirmed itinerary or a China transit visa. The Malaysian Airlines agent in Kuala Lumpur could have refused to rebook me, but he realized that the problem was not of my making. “Here’s your boarding card,” he said. “I’m just not sure what will happen in Shanghai.” The arrival of an itinerary-less, visa-less traveler threw Chinese immigration control into temporary confusion.