Zhang Ruiru, a university student in Beijing, obtained a deeper understanding of how China comes together in a crisis when the nation banded behind Wuhan during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Born and raised in Wuhan, Zhang moved to Beijing in 2018 to study at Tsinghua University. She returned to Wuhan in January for the Spring Festival holiday. Zhang sees her hometown as a beautiful city, where people lead vibrant lives. "In Beijing, I always crave the hot dry noodles back home and the really loud conversations in the local dialect heard on the streets," she said.

However, when she returned in January, all that was gone. On the evening of Jan 31, worse was to come when her parents went to hospital after having fevers and other symptoms for several days. "I watched my dad close the door. It was a cold night and dead silent," Zhang said.

She cried all night and hardly slept before she learned that they had finally settled down in the hospital. The next day, via a video call, Zhang saw her mother lying on a hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask. Her father was unable to talk without breathing heavily.

Zhang said her first thought was to take care of herself so her parents didn't worry while they underwent treatment.

Over the coming weeks, Zhang discovered that there were many others in Wuhan in the same situation as her.

Two weeks after her parents went into the hospital, Zhang developed a fever and was put under medical observation. She felt uneasy about being isolated in the hospital and wondered whether she would die there.

Zhang recalled that the situation was hectic in quarantine. It seemed that there were shortages of medical staff and materials.

"Even though the doctors and the nurses were covered from head to toe, I could tell how tired they were when I looked into their bloodshot eyes. They worked the entire day and were incredibly apologetic when they could not provide everything we needed," she said.

One day, some patients were served hot dry noodles for lunch prepared by a volunteer. Fortunately, Zhang's illness turned out to be due to bacterial infections and not the novel coronavirus.

Zhang believes Chinese people have always demonstrated a strong sense of unity in the face of challenges. "Chinese people stood as one to fight the virus," Zhang said. "Medical workers from all over the country descended on Wuhan to help, and resources were sent into the city from all over China."

She said she was optimistic about the pandemic being defeated as people around the world are doing their best to help others. She is now taking online courses in Wuhan, and her parents are home and fully recovered.

Zhang Ruiru, 20, is a sophomore at Tsinghua University majoring in English. She was born and raised in Wuhan, Hubei province. She returned to Wuhan to spend the Spring Festival with her family in January. Her parents were treated for the novel coronavirus and she was placed in quarantine during the outbreak.

Comments from the readers

Bizarre

This epidemic brings us a lot, and many of us seemed to have grown up quickly at this time.

七月之花

We are lucky living in China as a Chinese. I love China more than before.

朝夕

Everyone on the earth should give help to each other to kill the virus.