Xi visits epicenter Wuhan, pledging continuous fight toward victory

By Du Shangze, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday inspected Wuhan, the city at the center of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, when China has entered a critical stage in fighting the epidemic.

Xi, visited Wuhan’s Donghu Xincheng residential community and talked to community workers, police officers, doctors at health service stations and volunteers there – who took care of all the matters of residents quarantined at home, significant or trivial.

The epidemic prevention and control teams composed of these people have been making Wuhan – a city of heroes – more glorious over the past month.

Kong Xiangfeng shared his experience in the community over the past 25 days with the President, saying he has transformed from a man who worked in an office building to a courier and errand runner for the residents. “I’m gradually familiarized with the community, turning from a total stranger to a close friend of the residents,” Kong said, adding that a simple “Thank you” from the people would relieve all his tiredness.

During the conversation with Xi, some shared their fears and worries when the epidemic started, saying they were afraid of both infection and noncooperation from the residents, while some told touching and warm stories.

They learnt from the experiences over the past month that every one is a beam of light which is able to illuminate the neighborhood and themselves as long as they are willing to contribute.

A volunteer named Xie Xiaoyu, who was born in 1990s and lives in Donghu Xincheng residential community, is a student from a university in Beijing. She told the President that the city of Wuhan was locked down when she went back home for the winter vacation, and she decided to serve as a volunteer and do something that matters, saying it’s better than sitting idle at home.

“We were shorthanded at the beginning, which irritated some residents, and it saddened me very much,” she said. However, the volunteer was later cheered up by her peers who worked hard for the community, saying delivering goods to the residents is labor-intensive, so she must be enthusiastic.

Xi responded to her that the complaints of the people were totally understandable as they had been quarantined at home for a long time, adding that the support and participation of the people are indispensable to achieving the final victory over the epidemic. He encouraged community workers to understand and tolerate these complaints, and work in a more meticulous manner, such as offering psychological counseling and finding solutions to people’s practical problems.

Saying authorities at higher levels are like thousands of threads and the communities are the single needle that weaves, the President called community workers “primary-level premiers”. He noted that community workers should serve the people in a caring and gentle manner, and more importance shall be attached to community services.

Xi lauded the post-90s and post-00s generations for their contribution to the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic, saying these two groups, who were considered finicky by many, have become a major force fighting the virus, not fearing hardships or sacrifice. In the President’s eyes, working on the frontline is a great way to shape personalities.

The President encouraged residents to hang on, as it is still not a time for break although the situation in Wuhan is turning better. He said the battle against the virus is a people’s war that calls for confidence and unity, explaining that victory belongs to the most persevering.

Yang Mingxin, a social worker of the community told Xi that the residential community had recorded 18 days straight with no infection, which assured the residents and boosted their confidence.

A common wish of the people is to resume work as soon as possible, Tao Jiudi, director of the neighborhood committee reported to Xi, citing taxi drivers as an example - who are hoping to see the city get busy again so that their income could be secured.

Xi replied that epidemic prevention and the restoration of economic and social orders shall be addressed simultaneously.

He said to contain the spread of the virus by locking down the city with over 10 million people is an arduous task, and also a very difficult decision to make. In this sense, the people in Hubei, especially Wuhan have made huge sacrifice and contribution, he noted, adding that these great people are meritorious in this battle against the COVID-19 disease.

Xi called Wuhan a heroic city and its people heroic people, saying in the battle against the virus, the people in the city feared no sacrifice, demonstrated the sense of responsibility, bore in mind the general interests of the country, and made selfless contribution.

He said these are significant manifestations of the spirit of the Chinese nation, and shall be summarized and carried forward, adding that the city will be remembered in history for the final victory against the disease.