Eye on the storm

"I've always recorded my life through videos and photos," Lin says.

"I didn't initially plan to make it a series. But I decided to continue when my videos got so much attention online."

Lin has uploaded 10 vlogs on Sina Weibo since the lockdown. Each of the first nine vlogs has drawn at least 1 million hits so far. He has named the series Wuhan Diaries 2020.

His follower numbers have surged from about 3,700 to over 2.3 million.

Lin's account on Sina Weibo is Zhizhu Houmianbao (meaning "spider baobab"). In the telephone interview with China Daily, he also asked to be credited as this online moniker rather than by his real full name.

"Spider" became his nickname when he played in a band years ago. And "baobab" refers to his affection for travel and free living.

But even he felt gloomy as the outbreak dominated the news cycle. Lin recalls that he could hardly sleep for a few days after the lockdown.

"In the first days (of the outbreak), people were submerged in too many negative emotions," Lin says.