Lebanese details COVID-19 experience in diary

BEIRUT－In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 33-year-old Adham Sayed chose to stay in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province.

Sayed had come from Lebanon to study in the city in 2015, and had recently graduated.

"I had beautiful days with the people in Wuhan. They offered me security and a job. How can I leave them in bad times?" Sayed says.

When COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, he recorded videos from inside the city and posted them on social media to show the measures adopted by Chinese authorities to fight the pandemic.

He later published a book, titled Confidence Comes From Effectiveness: A Foreigner's Wuhan Diary, in China and its Arabic version in Lebanon.

In his book, Sayed related how China managed to control the spread of COVID-19 and how people protected themselves from getting infected.

"It's great to see that the Chinese implemented serious and strict measures to fight against the pandemic, which enabled them to reactivate the economy all over again," he says.

Sayed says he was impressed by China's capacity to fight COVID-19, emphasizing the great help offered by the government to the people in Wuhan.

"The Chinese government has, for instance, offered subsidized food products to help residents during the lockdown amid absence of work and income," he says.

As for students who stayed in the universities during the lockdown, Sayed says they were offered free meals.

"China has succeeded in its fight against the pandemic because it puts people's health first," he says.

Sayed says Wuhan should serve as an example of how to succeed in controlling the pandemic and returning to normal life.

"Life is totally normal in Wuhan today. We are free to attend occasions. What we have to do is wear masks in closed areas only," Sayed says.

Sayed graduated with a doctorate in quantitative economics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.

The young man will soon start his new job as an assistant professor in economics at a university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

"I only knew a few things about China just like other people, but I wanted to learn more about the country. When I came here, I went into a lot more detail about its history and culture," says Sayed, who is also a member of the Communist Party of Lebanon.

Sayed likes the serious approach adopted by the Chinese population in implementing projects and strategies in a timely manner.

"I have witnessed the rapid development of this city and country, especially high-speed trains," he says.

Respect for others and freedom of expression are among the other things that explain Sayed's attachment to China in general, and Wuhan in particular.

He adds that Chinese people respect expats and they are happy to receive them in the country.

"Wuhan's universities, for instance, host thousands of foreign students yearly," he says.

When asked what China means to him and on the time he spent in Wuhan, the Lebanese author says: "China has become a part of me."

Xinhua