Homecoming revelations

Fortunately, Cao did not have trouble transferring. After landing in Shanghai at midnight, she was amazed to find the airport was bustling with workers, all wearing medical protective suits.

It was 1 am when she completed entry formalities and was directed to the distribution desk for Shanghai residents.

"I was very touched when I arrived in the distribution zone. Because it was already very late, the health inspection workers were resting. As soon as I went in, they immediately sat up. They were so exhausted," Cao says.

She and two other passengers were then picked up by a bus, accompanied by a doctor and a police officer, to a hotel to rest for the night, and await nucleic acid tests the next day.

Despite their intense workload, the inspection officers kept asking Cao if the journey went well and whether she needed anything. Moved by their meticulous care, she recorded a video that night expressing her respect, in which she could not hold back her tears.

The video quickly climbed onto the trending list, winning 16,000 likes. What she said resonated with many: "I feel like everyone is contributing to this country... I really feel so proud that I am Chinese."

On the second day, when her test result came out as negative, she was driven home on a bus accompanied by a police officer. During her 14-day quarantine at home, she continued to be moved by the community workers who came daily to take her temperature, and volunteers who helped bring deliveries to her doorstep.

Cao says in an interview with China Daily that her views changed. "At first when the virus had just broken out, I felt conflicted. In the news, there were some touching stories, but also a lot of negative incidents that worried me greatly," she says.

"But I gradually believed that things would change for the better, and, after this personal experience, I now truly know that our country is doing so much to control the virus. We cannot please everyone, but we are already so awesome."