After February, comes March, when the weather starts to get warmer, everything comes to life. In spring, people are uplifted, and all things are full of vitality. People unconsciously sigh with emotion: "Looking at the picturesque scenery, I would like to recite poems to the world, but I am not very good in English so I can only point out the fact that the snow is so big.” The spring of 2020 does not bring good news to the planet. Covid-19 has spread since December of last year. While China and other countries have managed to contain the virus, many parts of the world are still suffering.
Many would argue that China was the first country to shut down the city and that's correct. I think China is one of the best countries to deal with the spread of Covid-19 but we must not forget that peace might be a sign that something bad is about to happen. It took China ten days to build two 1,000 hospitals beds; 200,000 medical workers rushed to Wuhan immediately to lend a helping hand. China is working as a country to ensure that all Covid-19 patients receive free treatment. But behind these seemingly picture-perfect processes, there are still some questions to keep in mind.
First, the Coronavirus was first diagnosed at the end of 2019. Why did the Chinese government wait until January 23, 2020 to shut down the city? If the city was closed a month in advance, or even half a month in advance, could the government have protected and prevented the spread to the innocent citizens?
Second, why did the small hospital in Wuhan fail to report about the virus directly to the country? The report has to go through the Wuhan government, and then to the local government that reports the statement to Beijing. Does the government know more in-depth about the fatality of the virus than doctors do? Coronavirus spreads very quickly and globally; such an irresponsibility for life left nothing but me speechless.
Third, when the medical staff realized the seriousness of the problem and had told the government leaders, why would there still be "10,000 people dinner" in Wuhan? This event was led by the government and they gather 10,000 people to have dinner together in order to celebrate Chinese New Year. What is more unbelievable is that the public security "warn and admonish" the doctors who send the early warning messages, asking them to recognize the "false rumors" and write a reflection and apology of the "false information spreading". This will only lead to more people not telling the truth. These problems must be for a reason, and issues may not be cured in a short time. But, if we don't try to change them now, how do we make sure they don't repeat themselves the next time a virus or other crisis strikes?
Of course, with a high degree of control and awareness, China had basically contained the outbreak in early March. But for us overseas students, the nightmare may just begin.
Since mid-March, the outbreak in the United States has been getting worse and worse, with 160,000 people now infected, making it the most infected country in the world. Under such serious circumstances, many overseas students decide to go back home. Although, returning home is the right decision, I do not agree with some people in China: (1) They think that overseas students are all giant babies, and their return will only spread the virus back to China. Personally, I think this bias is completely wrong. The actions of one or two people have led people in China to believe that overseas students are all macrosomia. Such a statement is a complete generalization. For example, there was a 12-year-old boy who traveled over 20 hours from Spain back to China. During these 20 hours, the poor little boy never took his mask off, never ate, nor drank a sip of water. This is just one out of millions of examples. (2) The students who post on TikTok did not use words to express their gratitude to the Chinese medical staff, prompting a ton of insults in the comments section. I think there are many ways of thanking health care workers, and verbal expression is just one of them. If we limit our appreciation to verbal absolutism, will people be encouraged to carry on in disguise? Will the way people express their thanks become more superficial? Does simply saying thank you make it too cheap? (3) Some want to make it a list of overseas students to donate masks to China, so that only those who donate masks or other medical items can return back to China. I am speechless at such comments. It seems that only such students love their country in their eyes. In fact, when people live abroad, they can better understand the meaning of the motherland, and often have a deeper love and attachment to their home country. There are many ways for people to give thanks and many more ways to love a country. It is hard to believe that donating masks is the only standard of patriotism. What is the fundamental task of international students? It is to improve self-cultivation and ability, to be able to serve the motherland in the future, to contribute to the development of the society, and to truly make a donation with one's own strength. In addition, all of us hold Chinese passports and are Chinese citizens. At any time, including in times of crisis, it is the right of the citizens to choose to return to the motherland. No one has the right to interfere or obstruct. No one should be denied the right to go home. Returning to China is the right of overseas students, not an exchange. Patriotism is an emotion in people's heart, but not an exchange.
Having said all this, I would like to say that China is an ancient civilization with a history of 5,000 years and will never be defeated by a single virus. But the problems that have emerged from the crisis also require reflection from all citizens of China. No nation and no people are perfect. Our ancestors constantly reflect, in times of peace and crisis before, so they left a bright civilization and vast land. Our generation has been dealt a good hand, and it is our responsibility make continuous progress. We should play our “cards” well, not the other way around.
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