Since Xi Jinping took office in 2012, State-society relations in China have undergone significant changes. China’s civil society under Xi has collapsed and became fragmented. At the same time, it can be observed that Xi has tried to tighten social control by introducing more laws. Following the approaches of Sporadic Totalitarianism and state power, this article examines how the State-society relations varied during the pandemic. The results show that: (1) the “Zero-Covid” policy and restrictions like lockdown have already demonstrated the strong despotic power of Chinese government; (2) “grid management” could not compensate for the deficient infrastructural power of Chinese government and the perennial problems remain.