A student fantasizing about buying £20,000 private aircraft seats, a mother feels depressed because her daughter can not go home, a group of desperate parents to the Chinese government for help.
The coronavirus outbreak has left one million Chinese students across the world stranded in empty dormitories and horrific towns around the world. According to statistics, 120,000 young people are studying in British universities, and Newcastle has nearly 3,000, some of whom have been on the flight to home at the beginning of the outbreak in Europe, while many more have stayed in Newcastle for various reasons. Almost all flights to and from China have been canceled as Beijing tries to prevent infected passengers from reigniting the outbreak there – a recovery that China has made thanks to a strict lockdown strategy. Many people have had their tickets cancelled, and they have bought them again, only to have them cancelled.
A few years ago there was a hugely successful Chinese film, Wolf Warrior, in which Chinese soldiers protect the Chinese people from overseas threats. “A Chinese passport can take you to more places and can take you home in an emergency,” the film says. As in the movie, the Chinese government is trying to address the plight of foreign students who are unable to return home. The Chinese government has distributed about 500,000 “health kits” to 59 embassies in more than 20 countries, including masks, medicines and hand wipes, to Chinese students studying in the country. In the UK, the “health kit” comes with a card that says “the motherland is always the strongest support for our overseas compatriots”. Yu Xuewei, a student at Newcastle university, felt a sudden drop of nerves after more than a month of anxiety when she took the health kit from the staff. “Suddenly, what’s the hurry? You see, the motherland is behind us.” She said.
Yu is one of thousands of Chinese students who cannot go home. She is a postgraduate student in environmental studies at Newcastle university. In the early days of the epidemic, she was hesitant to leave the UK. She was urged by her worried parents, and thousands of positive cases were rising rapidly every day. On the other hand, she did not want to end her study abroad career in such a short time. “If I had left at that time, I might not have been able to come back this year,” Yu said. “I was reluctant to leave my friends here and wanted to see more of Britain.” Yu Xuewei, who only came to the UK last September, missed the best opportunity to return home in her hesitation. She bought two tickets, but they were cancelled and she stayed in Newcastle.
On March 23rd, Boris Johnson, the prime minister, told people to stay at home in a televised evening address and gave the police the power to enforce the rule. It is also the strictest restriction imposed in Britain since the end of the second world war. Yu, like more than 60 million people in the UK, began to live in isolation at home. “I’m worried. Why don’t people in the UK wear face masks?” Watching the rising numbers of positive cases on her mobile phone every day, Yu is filled with anxiety and anxiety. From 30,000 confirmed cases to nearly 200,000, Yu has to be fully armed every time she goes out to buy daily necessities: gloves, a face mask and goggles. “I don’t know what meaningful thing I can do.” She did not know when the days would end, and it was as if she were caught in an endless cycle.
When Yu saw that the Chinese government was handing out health kits to overseas students, she realized she had to do something for her compatriots. She contacted the Chinese student association of Newcastle University, which was in charge of the work, and applied to be a volunteer to participate in the collection and distribution of materials. “I think it’s a very rewarding job,” she said. “I know there are a lot of Chinese students in Newcastle like me, and helping them get supplies gives them comfort and confidence.” More than 30 Chinese students signed up for the volunteer program, and Yu didn’t expect so many people to participate. “Even though we are far from home, now is the time for us to unite.”
All worked in strict compliance with government regulations. “we all wore face masks,” Yu said, ” Although I couldn’t see the faces of my classmates, I saw confidence in each other’s eyes.” The volunteer work ended. Spring has arrived and the warm sunshine makes Newcastle even more charming, she was sure she would soon see everyone’s bright smiles beneath their face masks.
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