Joy and despair captured by diarists

Jan 27: Forced to remain at home, I watch videos and bad news on Sina Weibo. My husband and son become interested in our cleaning robot, which has found it difficult to perform its duties because some of the furniture has been rearranged. We plan to go out every seven to 10 days. With plenty of food in stock, we are in no hurry to risk venturing outside.

Jan 30: The university tells us to prepare online courses. It feels good to return to working life. This semester, I'm teaching English reading to freshmen and literary translation to postgraduate students. All primary and middle schools, as well as private educational institutions, are moving to online activity.

Feb 12: I start my first livestreaming course. I've tried all the apps and experimented for it with my son in advance. At 8 am, the course begins. I speak slowly, share my notebook on screen and check students' responses in the instant messaging group. The feeling that I'm talking to myself soon disappears. Although there is one network interruption, the course goes much better than I expect. When it is over, we thank each other.

Our community tightens the regulation on going out. Supplies of pork, mutton, fish, vegetables and milk are snapped up through group purchases. I learn that more exhibition centers, stadiums and college dormitories are being turned into makeshift hospitals to offer beds for patients. It's good to know that things are going in the right direction.

March 9: After volunteering with my husband to help distribute goods to residents, I tell him I have helped 43 families in this way. Several days ago, he returned home after just 20 minutes, having visited only three households. I gleefully tell him I am more efficient. After two hours spent distributing goods outdoors, I am also keen to take a shower.

Cooperation is the key. My partner on the team and I carry vegetables into an elevator and take it to the highest floor of a building, working our way down according to a list of names. The streets are almost deserted, but magnolia and cherry blossom is starting to sprout.

March 14: It's my husband's birthday. I cook him a bowl of noodles for breakfast and plan to cook two more bowls for lunch and dinner. The reason is simple－we have too many noodles. We now also have supplies of strawberries and lobster. More companies are preparing to resume business, and my husband will return to work on March 21. I will continue to teach online for some time. The lockdown has its sad and touching moments, and I feel that we are witnessing history. Life goes on. Good luck, Wuhan! Good luck, China!