Qu turned to Tantan and Jimu, two popular Chinese dating apps with Tinder-like features. Qu, fearing she could introduce the virus. As an aftereffect of the country’s “zero-Covid” policies, locals were leery of travelers, and some hotels refused Ms. When Qu Tongzhou, a photography assistant in Shanghai, set out on a long-awaited trip to western China in June, she found the cities she visited to be unwelcoming. Credit… Qilai Shen for The New York Times She recently used dating apps to make friends as she went on a trip to western China.