Their problems could be felt around the world. China’s small and medium-size businesses are an important part of its growth engine. Vice Premier Liu He, the country’s economic czar, has repeatedly said they contribute more than half of China’s tax revenues, 60 percent of its economic output and nearly three-quarters of its technological innovation.

The Chinese government has tried to ease their anxiety. Officials on Sunday ordered banks to go easy on people hit by the crisis who are struggling to repay their mortgage and credit card debt. It also encouraged more loans and lower interest rates for businesses that have been severely affected.

The guidance was vague, however, and it doesn’t begin to address the breadth of problems.

Those problems go beyond officials forcing businesses to close. Routes from one part of the country to another have been frozen. Some cities require companies to pay employees for their idle time. Those efforts could help keep people content, but they still represent a cost for business.

Wang Chenyun, an internet entrepreneur, complained in his personal blog that the Shanghai municipal government not only extended mandated holidays to Feb. 9 but also required businesses to pay double wages to employees working from home.

“The Shanghai government pays too much attention to big enterprises,” he wrote. “It doesn’t care whether small businesses can survive.”

Their plight speaks to China’s lack of checks and balances. The government’s firm control of the levers of power lets it mobilize resources to build huge infrastructure projects and combat an epidemic. It can also empower officials to go too far. Without an independent court system or a free news media, businesses have few ways to protest a policy or ask for help.

Speaking out would be difficult even in better circumstances. Broadly, businesses from hotels, restaurants and department stores to farmers like Mr. Qiu believe Chinese officials are justified in moving forcefully to stop the spread. (The government has also been criticized for its slow response and for punishing those who tried to sound early warnings, so it feels tremendous pressure from the public to act.)