South African architect joins the virus campaign in China

As Chinese people pull out the stops to fight against the novel coronavirus nationwide, Ian Hamlinton of South Africa has joined the campaign in Jiuxian village in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, where his guesthouse is located.

The architect has been in China for 19 years. After travelling to more than 20 cities in China, he settled down in Jiuxian village, Yangshuo county, and renovated a local residence into a guesthouse in 2011.

"The outbreak of coronavirus seriously attacked the tourism industry. There are no visitors, my guesthouse is closed and my parents have to postpone their plan to visit China now" he said, with a little bit of frustration.

Meanwhile, the three roads leading to the village have been blocked to stop any vehicles or personnel from outside, and according to Hamlinton, two or three villagers share the responsibility of doing this work at the entrance every day, even on rainy days. Villagers also have a WeChat group to share the latest information on the outbreak.

"At the moment, I feel safe and comfortable staying here. I believe everything will be back to normal soon since the Chinese government is working so hard and the villagers are working together so well on it," he said.

Li Ziyu contributed to the story.