Millennials proud of their role in battling pandemic

Wearing a mask is no longer mandatory in many cities in China, and in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, all domestic COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals two days ago. The novel coronavirus, which is still raging in many countries, is now largely being kept under control in China.

Days of shuddering in fear of the virus seem a long time ago for many Chinese.

On Tuesday, a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing reminded me of our fight against the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province.

It was my first time attending a ceremony as a participant, although I have reported from the Great Hall of the People many times in my career. This time, it was a great honor for me to attend the ceremony as one of the 1,499 people commended for their roles in fighting the epidemic.

With heartfelt pride, I watched national heroes like respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan receiving awards from President Xi Jinping.

The efforts of medical workers helped the nation get the virus under control. As a young reporter, I asked myself why should we gather here to celebrate our victory over the novel coronavirus?

With a united will, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people will always make people's lives and health the first priority.

I'm proud to say, I saw many young faces in the Great Hall of the People. Half of all the medical workers who went to Wuhan were millennials. The younger generation played a key role in this fight. During the SARS outbreak, the older generation protected us. This time it was our turn to protect them.

During my 82 days of conducting interviews in Wuhan, I was often moved to tears by the sacrifices of the residents. There were firefighters, doctors, volunteers as well as reporters, all fighting the coronavirus in different ways to help the country come through the crisis.

I am a millennial and a journalist. Our generation was born and raised in the best era since China's opening-up. We haven't experienced war; we live in an age of an economic boom. This time, the pandemic pushed our generation to try our best to safeguard our nation.

The pandemic turned into a great patriotic education for many youngsters. Tuesday's events gave us a chance to review our patriotism.

When I opened the Moments feature on my WeChat app, many friends had posted what Zhong said, that nothing can defeat the Chinese. Yes, nothing can defeat the Chinese.