Julie Tan Shares An Inspiring Story By Her Friend From Wuhan About How The City Is Handling The Coronavirus Outbreak

However, instead of being resigned to feelings of dread and doom, Ella’s message is one of optimism and hope.

“This has inspired me and I hope it inspires everyone as well, to stay positive and be united as one,” wrote Julie, who has over 291,000 Instagram followers (at the time of writing). “In times of difficulty, all of us can play a part by showing compassion and kindness towards one another, especially towards those working on the front line.”

P/S: Ella’s thoughts are conveyed entirely in rather cheem Chinese, so for those like former DJ Rosalyn Lee, who lamented "liak bo kiu "(basically 'catch no ball' or “don’t understand” in Hokkien) in the comments section of Julie’s post, 8days.sg has translated the post for you.

“2020 was destined to be an extraordinary year. Unlike the SARS epidemic 17 years ago, the new coronavirus has spread so quickly and infected so many people that I did not see it coming. On January 23, Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, was placed under lockdown, and two days later, the entire Hubei province was sealed off, plunging the entire country into a state of emergency.

I have never witnessed such a grim situation in my entire life, and at the same time, there is a growing anxiety in my heart. My parents, younger sister, as well as other friends and relatives are all in Wuhan, and I have not been able to let go of my worries ever since the day the epidemic became severe. For the sake of their safety, they have stocked up on food and not gone outside for many days.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, words of blessing in my family group chat were all replaced with wishes for good health. My mum tried to reassure me by saying that despite these circumstances, there is a greater need to adjust my attitude and be optimistic. She even joked about decorating every corner of the house to make it look as scenic as possible, which helped to ease the tension a little. Although I am worried, I do not want my emotions to get in the way, so I try my best to speak in a calm tone.

At about 8pm on the third day of Chinese New Year, my aunt sent me several video recordings of citizens rallying together for a group event: to open the windows, shout ‘Wuhan jiayou’, and sing the national anthem at the same time. As I watched it, tears fell from my eyes and I felt a sense of admiration. The way the people from my hometown were able to face such unprecedented challenges with so much hope touched me through the screen!

I have many friends and relatives among the angels in white on the frontline, and my heart aches whenever I think about them putting themselves out there day and night for our safety. Last week, my sister’s kindergarten teacher shared that her husband is a medical worker on the frontline, which affected their New Year celebrations. However, despite her concerns, she has chosen to give her full support.

Another friend of mine, like me, is unable to return home, so she recorded a video from Beijing saying, ‘My dear friends at home, please rest assured, we will be fine, everyone will be fine,’ echoing my exact thoughts!

During this unusual period, my family and I are under extreme psychological stress, and all I can do from so far away is to give them encouragement and support, and to take good care of myself so I won’t worry them. Wuhan, jiayou!”

P.S. Scroll to the third image in Julie’s post below to watch clip of the residents in Wuhan cheering themselves on. It will give you goosebumps.

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Today, I’d like to share a story by my friend, Ella. Ella is from Wuhan but she has been in Singapore for 10 years and we go a long way back, since our NAFA days. ⁣ ⁣ Being away in Singapore far from her loved ones living in Wuhan, it’s already not easy. As we sat down and talked, she told me about how this CNY in Wuhan, there were no wishes of 恭喜发财 or 新年快乐 instead it was all 身体健康, how she was so touched and cried when she saw videos of how the Wuhan residents cheered each other on despite all these hardships, how it pains her to think of her friends and family back in Wuhan many of whom are putting their lives at stake fighting hard on the front lines (who are also risking their health and sacrificing time with their family). ⁣ ⁣ I feel that it’s important for us to hear her story (especially during this difficult period):⁣ ⁣ "2020年注定不平凡，和17年前的非典疫情不尽相同，这一次新型冠状病毒扩散的速度之快，受感染人群之广让我始料未及。1月23日，湖北省的首府武汉正式封城，两天之后湖北省封省，紧接着全国进入紧急状态。我长这么大从来没有见过如此严峻的局势，同时心里也愈发焦虑起来。我的父母妹妹和其他的亲戚朋友都在武汉，从疫情变得严峻的那天起我揪着的心就没有放下过，为了安全起见他们提前囤好了食物并足不出户多日。在除夕那天我的家人的通讯群聊里所有的祝福都被身体健康四个字所取代。我妈跟我语音通话时让我放心说虽然身处非常时期但是更需要调整心态，乐观地面对一切，她还打趣地说春节7日游把家里的每个角落变成室内景区，如此调侃也让紧张的心情得到了一丝缓解。虽然我很担心但为了不让激动的情绪扰乱他们的生活我尽量用克制的语调说话。在大年初三的晚上8点，我的伯母给我发来了几段视频，原来被憋坏了的市民们自发组织了一次集体活动:准时开窗高喊"武汉加油"然后唱国歌。收到视频后我边看边流泪，一种敬佩之情油然而生，纵使面对前所未有的挑战，家乡人民乐观的精神隔着屏幕将我感染！⁣ ⁣ 我还有很多亲戚朋友都是奋战在前线的白衣天使们，想到他们挺身而出为了我们的安全不分昼夜地奋战就愈发地心疼。上周我看到我妹妹的幼儿园老师在朋友圈里发表了她的一番感慨，说她丈夫作为医护人员被调往前线，这个年过得匆忙而沉重。虽然她万般牵挂万般不舍，但依然选择了全力支持。另外我有个好友也是和我一样不能回家，她在北京录制了视频做了短片，她说"请家乡的亲人们放心，我们会好好的，大家都会好好的"，她的一番话也说出了我的心声！⁣ ⁣ 在这种非常时期，我和家人都承受着难以想象的心理压力，远在千里之外的我唯一能做的就是给他们带来精神上的鼓励和支持，并且照顾好自己不让他们担心。武汉加油，我们一起加油！"⁣ ⁣ This has inspired me and I hope it inspires everyone as well, to stay positive and be united as one. In times of difficulty, all of us can play a part by showing compassion and kindness towards one another, especially towards those working in the front line.

A post shared by Julie Tan 陈欣淇 (@julietan_cxq) on Feb 10, 2020 at 3:52am PST

Photos: Julie Tan’s Instagram