Coronavirus outbreak diary: ‘Wuhan, be strong’, shout its residents

Support for Wuhan is a trending thread on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform where netizens have pledged their support. “Wuhan is not an abandoned city,” said a post shared by many.

The embattled, locked-down citizens of Wuhan are putting up a brave face and giving a shout-out to their neighbours amid an unprecedented crisis that’s gripped their lives.

Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.(Reuters File Photo)

A picturesque city in central China, Wuhan was where Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Xi Jinping for their first informal summit in April, 2018. On Monday, Wuhan’s citizens received a message on WeChat to do their collective bit to lift sagging spirits.

The message asked residents to open their windows sharp at 8pm and shout “Wuhan, come on” to spread the spirit of cheer around the city. The message in Chinese asked residents to shout “Wuhan, Jia You” or “Wuhan, add oil” – a popular phrase in China used to encourage people, egg them on or to exhort them to stay strong. Thousands did.

On mobile videos shared online, one could hear echoing voices cheering the spirit of the city through open windows overlooking well lit but eerily desolate streets.

Many then sang China’s National Anthem; some sang old patriotic songs.

Support for Wuhan is a trending thread on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform where netizens have pledged their support. “Wuhan is not an abandoned city,” said a post shared by many.

Ordinary Chinese have always been key characters who help create history, wrote the nationalistic tabloid, Global Times.