Learning to make the best of it

With the delayed commencement of the new semester and students being forced to embark on learning at home instead of in the classroom, university life was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in China last year.

Despite the inconveniences and challenges, many students from Fudan University in Shanghai managed to make the most of the unusual year.

For Cao Yujie, a final year undergraduate in Chinese language and literature, being cooped up at home was initially a painful experience for the outgoing young man, who would normally spend his winter break playing basketball and visiting galleries.

"It was dull at first, but eventually I made a plan to make the period as meaningful as possible," says Cao, who is the recipient of a national scholarship by the Chinese government.

When he wasn't working on his academic essay, Cao would immerse himself in books from a list of 60 recommended masterpieces that was provided by his teacher.

"Reading brings me more than good grades. It can also nurture critical thinking or give birth to a new way of solving problems," he says.

"It's a rewarding experience. For example, I've been motivated by the fate of Julien Sorel, the protagonist of the novel The Red and the Black by French writer Stendhal, and the protagonist Lucien Chardon in the novel Lost Illusions by French writer Honore de Balzac. Although they failed to achieve what they had set out to do, there is still a precious lesson we learn from their persistence."

This new habit of reading did not wane, even when the libraries and bookstores reopened in April. Delighted at being able to finally leave his home, Cao headed to a library where he borrowed several books.

Cao, who aspires to be a Chinese teacher after his studies, believes that his love for reading will be useful when he pursues a master's degree in modern and contemporary literature at Fudan in the next three years.

"I'll improve my professional skills to teach my students how to understand humanity, nature and the community, in the same way my Chinese teacher at school imparted knowledge beyond the textbooks," he says.

Liu Jiaxing, a final year undergraduate from the computer science school at Fudan, used his time away from campus to help the Shanghai government design a mask-distribution management system.

According to Liu, who is the recipient of a scholarship by Huawei Technologies, the system leverages technologies like big data visualization and real-time communication web technology and manages data provided by mask manufacturers and subdistricts to determine an efficient distribution strategy.

In a thank-you letter, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce told the university in February last year that the system had helped 6,032 neighborhood committees and 1,182 pharmacies. The system, which was developed in just 16 hours by a team of 18 members from Fudan University's schools of public health and computer science, was also awarded the second prize in a government campaign to recognize voluntary efforts in combating the pandemic.

"System updates required data from every neighborhood and pharmacy. It was a time-consuming process. We did not receive all the data until midnight, which meant that we had to work till 5 in the morning to complete the project," recalls Liu, who was in charge of system development and design.

Looking ahead, Liu says he hopes to work in the field of artificial intelligence, specifically natural language processing, so that he can explore the interactions between computer and human language.

"If computers can accurately read and decipher human languages, they will bring smarter services to the world," he says.

Yu Su, a final year undergraduate in clinical medicine at Fudan, sought to add more color to eight months of online learning at home with her medical internship at a community hospital in September. During her stint, she was in charge of taking the temperatures of patients.

"It was simple work, but I realized all medics, including those doing the most repetitive and basic tasks, play a role in helping prevent and control the pandemic," says Yu, who has gained admission to a PhD program for immune and allergic skin diseases.

Yu also managed to learn some acting skills when she starred in a drama directed by the medical college of Fudan in October. In the show, which was themed around a group of Shanghai medics dispatched to aid Wuhan, Hubei province, during the pandemic, Yu played the role of a hospital nurse who took care of the elderly.