While the world struggles to contain the novel coronavirus pneumonia pandemic, young people urge solidarity and global cooperation
People are the 'true heroes' of battle
With the number of novel coronavirus cases climbing around the world, cooperation will be the only way to destroy it, said Alisa Topchiy, a student at Saint Petersburg State University in Russia. Topchiy's family has moved out of Saint Petersburg to the countryside to help protect her 82-year-old grandmother, who survived the siege of Leningrad during World War II, from the virus.
Despite the relative solitude, Topchiy cannot avoid news about the virus, which has "penetrated the lives of everyone everywhere in the world". "The whole globe seems to have plunged into a bottomless ocean, an ocean of uncertainty and fear," the 22-year-old said at the Vision China online event, adding that only by working together can we find a solution. "I believe that the coronavirus is above politics," she said.
The good news for her is that China and Russia have offered each other, and the world, a helping hand to cope with the unprecedented challenge.
Over the past few weeks China has donated coronavirus testing kits to Cambodia and sent planeloads of ventilators, masks and medical personnel to Italy, France, Pakistan, Spain and other countries. By April 10, China had provided assistance to more than 120 countries and four international organizations amid the outbreak, she said. China has published a timeline on how it has shared information and advanced international cooperation to fight the deadly pneumonia.
Topchiy expressed her gratitude to all the medical workers who risked their lives to save others, and young people who have volunteered to take food and medicine to elderly people. She also praised the Chinese people's dedication and courage in fighting the virus."Over hundreds, and even thousands of years, humanity has faced a lot of terrible disasters...but every time those attempts to wipe us out fail, and humanity prevails," she said.
The Chinese experience meant the time when the coronavirus was consigned to history was just around the corner.
"Citizens of the People's Republic of China, I salute you. You are true heroes," she said.
Alisa Topchiy, 22, is an honors graduate in linguistics and international communication. She is currently studying for a master's in classical philosophy at Russia's Saint Petersburg State University. Last year, she took part in the inaugural China Daily 21st Century Cup International English Speaking Competition and the first Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition. Topchiy believes in international friendship and considers herself a global citizen.
Wang Qian
Hard times bond people together
Zhu Jiayi, a master's student at the University of Southern California, tried her best to dissuade her parents in China from visiting relatives during Spring Festival because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. "Please cut your social contact as much as possible. That's the most effective way of stopping the spread of this virus," the 23-year-old told them.
However, a month later the situation was reversed when the pandemic hit the United States, Zhu said at the online Vision China event.
When her mother warned her to restrict her movements, Zhu replied she didn't see the point in sacrificing her routine "if others around me don't care". "We clearly knew how dangerous the virus could get and how we could effectively contain its spread," she said.
Zhu felt helpless as the novel coronavirus was treated differently than it was in China. Xenophobia and an undercurrent of racism against Chinese students and Asian Americans also worried her.
She decided to fly to her home in Luoyang, Henan province, despite friends warning her not to return when the situation was still not fully under control.
"All of humanity naturally gravitates toward a sense of belonging and security. But how far that goes, and where the fine line between self-protection and a sense of community lies, depends on the individual," she said.
Zhu and other Chinese students traveled to Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region at the end of March after aviation authorities began diverting inbound flights from Beijing. She and her traveling companions spent 14 days quarantined in a hotel and she was impressed by the care social workers showed them.
Zhu praised the efforts of doctors, nurses, construction workers and social workers in the battle against the coronavirus, saying they were doing things "greater than themselves".
"Growing up I'd heard that hard times bond people together, but now I know it's a conscious choice that has to made," she said. "We live in an age of globalization－and this pandemic starkly demonstrates that－and if nobody takes on the mantle of global leadership the future will be extremely bleak."
Zhu Jiayi, 23, graduated from Renmin University of China's Business School in 2019. Zhu is currently studying for a master's degree at the University of Southern California in communication management. She was a runner-up in the China Daily 21st Century Cup National English Speaking Competition in 2017.
Wang Kaihao
Drawing hope from Wuhan's succe
The need for close communication, collaboration and coordination between the world's nations is more important than ever, said Max Horne from the United States, who considers China his second home.
"Continued creation of open, accessible information regarding the epidemic worldwide is paramount, as is keeping the public well-informed," he told the Vision China event, while speaking online from New York.
Horne, a first-year Harvard College student studying East Asian languages and civilizations, had to leave campus and has been studying online from home due to the novel coronavirus pneumonia pandemic.
He said while efforts of front-line medical workers in New York are showing results, better days for the city at the epicenter of the US outbreak remain far-off.
Seeing Wuhan's lockdown end and daily life return to normal gives Horne hope."The restoration of vibrancy and vitality in China gives us optimism," he said.
"My city is sick, but my love for it is unchanged; my second home was sick, but my affinity for it remained."
Shortly after Wuhan was hit hard by the outbreak, he filmed several videos showing his support for those fighting on the front lines against the virus. He also hopes to show through his videos a down-to-earth picture of Harvard and the keen interest in China that many in US academia continue to have.
He said the Harvard Association of US-China Relations, of which he is a member, has also begun to create Jiayou Wuhan (Stay strong, Wuhan) videos.
"Filming short, lighthearted videos is dwarfed in comparison to the work of medical professionals," he said.
"But I wanted to show, at a time of growing tension in US-China relations, that countless members of the US public wish to deepen engagement with China through people-to-people exchanges and an eye to globalism."
Since beginning his Chinese studies in middle school, Horne has made numerous trips to China, forming close relationships and gaining a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of modern China.
Through a student exchange program to Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Horne developed a strong relationship with his homestay sister and remains in close contact with her. Having been through weeks of quarantine and emerging stronger, she has been a great support to Horne during his self-isolation.
Horne said when he gathered on Harvard's campus with other students and professors for the second semester, the virus seemed like a distant threat. But the virus respects no borders. On March 10, all classes were moved online, and two weeks later the university's president, Larry Bacow, tested positive for novel coronavirus. He has since recovered.
Horne thinks the challenge educators face is not how to continue high-quality education, but how to encourage students and professors to form the interpersonal bonds that make education meaningful. He also said Harvard has emphasized the need to treat all students, including those of Chinese descent, with respect at this difficult time.
The Harvard China Forum for this year, which promotes constructive dialogue between the two countries, has been canceled. As a member of the forum, Horne said it hopes to facilitate online dialogue to strengthen the US-China relationship.
Horne said it is currently exploring creative ways to bring together experts on the medical, financial, and social impacts of the epidemic.
"These are unprecedented times, and innovative, unorthodox channels for promoting much-needed, cross-cultural exchange is ever more important," he said."We are apart physically, but together in spirit."
Max Horne, 19, is a first year student at Harvard College planning to concentrate on East Asian languages and civilizations, with a focus on Mandarin and Chinese society. Horne began studying Chinese at age 12 and has engaged deeply with China since then. He took first place in the Chinese Bridge Speech Competition in the United States and second in the international version. He has been recognized by the Chinese embassy in the US for his involvement in people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.
Li Yingxue
Rallying against disease of racism
The public should join hands not only to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic, but also to battle racism, said Xue Feiyang, a 22-year-old Chinese student in the United Kingdom.
Now studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Xue and her fellow Chinese students have been organizing campaigns in London to oppose racism sparked by fears of the virus.
More than two months ago, before the epidemic escalated around the world, the Chinese students started rallying to support their communities back home. In February, a group of students from Shaanxi province studying at the LSE, including Xue, sent more than 10,000 masks to hospitals in Xi'an, the provincial capital.
"I've never felt such a strong sense of patriotism and solidarity before," Xue told the online Vision China event, adding she feels a closer bond with the world and a great sense of gratitude to medical and service workers.
However, at the same time, Xue said she had a sense of powerlessness. Being far from her hometown, there was nothing much she could do apart from sending limited supplies. Adding to her frustration was the rise in racism against Chinese people.
Xue observed in her daily life and read reports of verbal and physical assaults on Chinese and other Asians, even in universities.
Unwilling to stand by, she and several friends started the "Chinese against racist virus" campaign. They established a Facebook group and an Instagram account, organized a workshop to discuss the issue, and devised slogans, posters, banners and stickers to support the campaign.
The group organized a rally in London's Trafalgar Square, where they waved banners and wore masks emblazoned with "Racism is a virus", chanted anti-racism slogans and gave speeches. The rally attracted hundreds of people, including activist groups and media outlets.
Xue said that she was particularly impressed by one speech from a London resident appealing for humanity, compassion and fair play in stopping racism against East Asian people.
A Korean friend of hers remarked after the event that the rally was meaningful in raising awareness and making the world a better place."I think we have every reason to hope that the world will become a safer place in which people are treated equally, as humans and not a virus,"Xue said.
Xue has been filming documentaries with British university students about Chinese people living abroad and the efforts they have made in fighting the virus. The group is also compiling a list of news and academic articles related to racism fueled by the disease.
Xue said she has also been supporting the UK's battle against the virus by donating to the National Health Service and volunteering to assist those in quarantine."It may take some time to conquer the pandemic, but whenever that day comes I hope that one lesson many people will have learned is that we all have the right－regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or any other social or personal characteristics－to be treated with dignity and respect," Xue said.
Xue Feiyang, 22, is a broadcast journalism graduate from Shanghai International Studies University and is now studying for a major in global media and communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science. For her, taking photos and making videos is like "creating a new life". Her goal is to become a documentary maker and raise people's awareness about eliminating social inequality.
Cheng Yuezhu
Diplomatic corps praised for help
China has made great strides in bringing the novel coronavirus outbreak under control, but it has done far more than simply imposing lockdowns, said Xiong Ziqing, a 21-year-old exchange student living in the United States.
"Border controls have become a lot tighter and the imposition of social distancing has become tougher, but the world needs to take heed of other measures and other approaches China has taken as well," he said at the Vision China event.
Xiong shared his opinions on "social distancing", a measure taken by countries and regions to try to control the spread of the virus.
Classmates who used to sit close to one another now meet in a virtual classroom and stage fright has given way to "camera fright". Describing his recent life in the US, Xiong said there are fewer people out, but queues at banks and supermarkets are longer than usual because of social distancing.
A fourth-year student at Shanghai International Studies University Xiong is on an exchange program at Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.
But despite the obvious benefits, social distancing "cannot be regarded as a magic potion that rids the world of this scourge once and for all", Xiong said.
He said one of the main benefits of distancing is that it reminds us of the value of sharing, caring and communicating with others.
Xiong, like many Chinese students, chose to stay overseas during the outbreak. As a Chinese exchange student in the US, he said China's stance has been one of reaching out rather than distancing.
Health packages－often including face masks, disinfectants and drugs－have been dispatched by China's embassies and consulates in the US.Reports and advice on personal health have also been issued daily, including lectures on disease prevention which are livestreamed to suit those in different time zones.
"When Chinese nationals could not get home, home came to us," he said. "So much thought seems to have been put into this outreach that it would be virtually impossible for any Chinese student here to feel that they are isolated far from home.
"The pandemic cannot sweep away friendship, goodwill and exchanges of ideas and knowledge,"Xiong said, adding the use of video conferences and social media apps has shown people's instincts to sympathize, communicate and work together regardless of time and distance.
"Distancing is first and foremost a way of taking care of ourselves and treating those we love in a responsible way," he said."But more importantly, gathering or reuniting at a distance shows who and what we really love and care about."
Xiong Ziqing, 21, is a senior at the Shanghai International Studies University, majoring in English language and literature. In 2018, when he was a sophomore, Xiong finished third in the China Daily 21st Century Cup National English Speaking Competition, which opened the way for him to compete in the grand final of the International Public Speaking Competition in London.
Chen Meiling
Boy proud of family's role in fight
Wang Ziyi, 10, a fifth grader from Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, is proud that seven of his family members became volunteers during the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province."My family is only one of many families in Wuhan, who're doing their bit to pull the city together. Every ordinary person can be a hero,"Wang said at the latest Vision China online event.
Some of his relatives live in Wuhan and the large family usually communicates through the WeChat messaging app. The sudden coronavirus outbreak forced them to cancel plans to visit each other during Spring Festival in January.
While family members were anxious about the epidemic, Auntie Peng shared her daily routine as a community worker in Wuhan with the WeChat group. She said that every day she puts on her protective suit and face mask and patrols communities to track residents' health and encourage them to stay at home.
Auntie Peng posted in the WeChat group that she didn't have enough time to look after her 2-year-old child. "I wish I could become Doraemon so that I can have a pharmacy to take care of the sick and a supermarket to gather supplies," she said referring to a popular Japanese cartoon hero.
Her husband was the first volunteer from the family, transporting the sick to hospital and taking food and water to those in need.
Wang is proud that his relatives in Wuhan were eager to relieve the burden on others, and risked being outside instead of staying at home.
When his Uncle Dong, a head chef, noticed that doctors and nurses on the front line needed food, he volunteered to cook homemade dishes, which were packaged and sent to hospitals. It was a show of appreciation for their efforts and a morale boost for medical workers.
Wuhan lifted its lockdown on April 8 as the fight against the pandemic entered the final stage. Wang believes the city will eventually leave this dark chapter behind."Numerous people in China have been following the strict restrictions (of lockdown) to tame this virus. But it has been our fellow citizens in Wuhan who have sacrificed the most to save our country from the worst," Wang said.
"When we look at the statistics of the pandemic, these are not just figures on deaths. They signify our feelings of ups and downs, they represent countless families torn apart and stories of heartbreak, but they also symbolize the strength of unity."
Wang Ziyi, 10, a fifth grader from Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, won China Daily's English speaking competition for students in Grades 4-6 last year. He believes that studying science, history and world geography have helped him understand and appreciate world issues from which he can gain inspiration for writing stories.
Xu Lin
