Wuhan Diary summary

Fang spent the lockdown in her apartment, located in the Literary and Arts Federation compound in Wuhan. For the 76 days of isolation, her only companion was her 16-year-old dog. And in the virtual world, Fang Fang’s online followers kept her company. 

Fang is an active user of social media. So when one of her editors suggested that she start recording her quarantine experience, she decided to do it publicly. She chose to document it on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. 

In early February, the outbreak in Wuhan hit its peak. Every day brought more cases, and more fatalities.

But as the spring sun came out and flowers and trees around the city started blooming, Fang felt that people were growing optimistic. Help started pouring in. Families and communities were devising new ways to stay connected – to keep each other safe and healthy.

About three weeks into the lockdown, all the efforts of the Wuhanese – and all the outside help – seemed to be paying off. The infection rate was slowing down. The virus’s mortality rate had steadied at around 2 percent of those infected. There were also fewer people with severe symptoms.

But the government was adamant that Wuhan should remain under lockdown until the situation was fully under control. On February 17, the authorities issued a new quarantine order; it was even stricter. Now only one member of each household was allowed to go out for groceries – and only once a week. 

In her online diary, Fang spoke freely and critically about the government’s response to the pandemic. She felt that as a writer, it was not her job to fawn over officials. Instead, she wanted to grapple with her own experience of the situation by voicing the questions and concerns of people around her.

For example, when one politician made coronavirus patients join him in singing the Communist Party anthem for a publicity stunt, Fang questioned whether such displays of party affiliations should really take priority during a national crisis. 

The infection rate of the virus began slowing down in early February. But the real turning point came much later than experts had predicted. 

Outside of Hubei, the province in which Wuhan is located, there had only been a handful of coronavirus cases – and by February, the infection rate was beginning to decrease. But in Hubei and its capital Wuhan, cases continued to rise despite the strict lockdown. The infection rate had slowed down, sure, but it hadn’t yet reversed. 

It wasn’t until March – about 45 days into the lockdown – that the situation in Wuhan improved significantly. On March 7, there were fewer than a 100 new cases of coronavirus for the first time. Around 17,000 people remained in hospitals; of those, 5,000 displayed serious symptoms. But now all experts agreed that the virus was finally under control. 

The key message here is: When the lockdown finally ended, the people of Wuhan rejoiced.