Central China's Hubei province is home to multiple universities, with a total of 1.2 million university students. Many students left their universities before the novel coronavirus became widespread. However, many foreign students chose to stay in the city to fight the epidemic.

Vera Syrvasova, a Russian student studying at Huazhong University of Science and Technology shouts "Wuhan, Jiayou (stay strong)" in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Feb 1, 2020. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

International students at Wuhan University, Elvira Zhaidarova from Kazakhstan and Svetlana Zhigalova from Russia, shout "Wuhan, Jiayou" (roughly translated as, "Stay strong, Wuhan"), in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Feb 1, 2020. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Gerard Buis, a Dutch student studying at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, shouts "Wuhan, Jiayou" in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Feb 1, 2020. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Sawa Haithm Ghanem Ali, a Yemeni student studying at Wuhan University, shouts "Wuhan, Jiayou" in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Feb 1, 2020. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Davlatov Khairiddin, a foreign student studying at Wuhan University, shouts "Wuhan, Jiayou" in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Feb 1, 2020. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Foreign students Shashikian Mane and Oorzhak Anzhelika, who are studying at Wuhan University, shout "Wuhan, Jiayou" in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Feb 1, 2020. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)