Workers outline the rewarding experience of helping others

Editor's note: Seven Shanghai residents interviewed by China Daily at the peak of the city's COVID-19 outbreak tell of their plans for the future and how the epidemic, which is on the wane in the metropolis, has changed their lives and work.

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER

Since the lockdown was introduced in Shanghai in early April, Shankar Koirala, 29, from Nepal, has worked as a volunteer at a community in Xuhui district, helping residents receive packages from delivery workers.

With the outbreak on the wane, his workload has increased.

"The number of packages, including food, groceries and personal items, is rising as the citywide lockdown is lifted and more courier companies and restaurants resume service," Koirala said.

Each day, more than 1,000 packages arrive at the neighborhood, where 2,000-plus households live in some 60 buildings without elevators.

Koirala and other volunteers work three shifts a day, disinfecting goods and delivering them to residents' doorsteps.

He said that before the outbreak hit the city, he didn't know anybody in the neighborhood, even though he had lived there for a year. "The experience over the past months has brought us closer," he added.

Koirala runs a local business selling artifacts from Nepal, but trade has been affected by the outbreak. He is worried about household bills, rent for his shop, and salaries for his employees.

However, he believes the city's business environment will recover, adding that he will not change his long-term plan to continue working and living in Shanghai.

'BEER LADY'

Zhang Yindi, 60, and her team are thinking about holding a summer beer and crayfish festival.

Known as the "Beer Lady", Zhang owns a company that operates four stores selling international craft beers in Shanghai.

When indoor dining resumes in the city, she plans to hold the festival at the company's flagship outlet in Songjiang district.

"In an effort to boost the night economy and help the city get back on its feet, our month-long festival will feature numerous craft beers, crayfish and barbecues," she said.

Zhang and some of her employees have lived in the flagship store for two months.

Instead of doing online business to make a profit, Zhang decided to provide meals and drinks to hundreds of workers at companies based in the Yunjian Granary, where her main outlet is located.

She provides the meals and drinks for free, but accepts a token sum from those who insist on paying.

"Trying to make a profit on the back of people's woes is against my principles. The more difficult the times are, the more responsible entrepreneurs should be," she said.

DELIVERY WORKER

Shanghai courier Tian Dan, who has driven around an almost silent Shanghai for two months making her deliveries, is happy to find more vehicles returning to the city's roads.

"I know the situation is getting better when I encounter traffic jams during my deliveries. I have to get used to such congestion again, but it's a good sign that life is returning to normal," the 34-year-old said.

A courier with the food delivery platform Ele.me, Tian joined the company's emergency team in late March, delivering medicine and baby milk powder.

"One day in April, I delivered more than 100 orders across the city and had to work until late at night at the peak of the outbreak, but I can now finish work at 5 pm," she said.

Despite her heavy workload, Tian, who arrived in Shanghai from Shaanxi province, is glad that she has got to know the city better, to feel needed by other people, and to gain a new sense of achievement in her work.

"The epidemic has taught us to treasure life and people. My husband and I will go back to our hometown to meet our daughters when the epidemic is over," she said.

HOSPITAL NURSE

Fang Lan, 47, head nurse in the emergency department at International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital in Shanghai, said the best news she heard recently was that work at the facility was returning to normal.

This means she may soon be reunited with her family at home after working and living at the hospital for the past two months under a closed-loop management system.

"Video-chatting is the only way that I can see my son. Many residents staying at home under closed-loop management expect to go outside for refreshment, but medical workers exposed to risks must keep away from family members," she said.

Fang said more outpatients and fewer emergency patients are now arriving at the hospital than several weeks ago, reducing the mental pressure on medical personnel. "Vigilance against COVID-19 will be maintained as always," she added.

TRUCK DRIVER

Last month, truck driver Long Anhua, 51, returned to his usual job of transporting automobile parts and accessories, instead of carrots and cabbages.

In April, Long, who works for a local logistics company, joined a team of volunteer drivers to help transport food for residents in neighborhoods that were locked down.

"I answered my cellphone calls 24 hours a day, as I never knew when emergency tasks would come in. I felt under a great deal of pressure, as I was worried if vegetables would fall out of the vehicle, or if I would arrive late," he said. "Now that I have returned to my normal job, I can finally get a good night's sleep.

"My experience during the current outbreak has made me fully understand the old saying 'When disaster strikes, help comes from all sides'.

"Shanghai has received help from around the country, and I am so honored to be a member of the volunteer team."

Long, who is still living at his company as required, said he has not been home for more than two months. He is looking forward to an outing with his family and a barbecue with his friends from work.

COLLEGE STUDENT

Undergraduate student Meng Yinghong posted footage on the Bilibili short-video platform about her experience of acting as a volunteer leader for residents in her building. The footage has been viewed more than 13 million times.

The 22-year-old said that as the epidemic in Shanghai has eased, her workload as a volunteer has also fallen significantly. "I focused on making sure that everyone took nucleic acid tests," she said.

The student organized a chef contest online, with 10 residents from her building taking part and providing dishes such as borscht and souffle. "As people have stayed home for a long time, I help them find some fun," she said.

She added that she has also learned new skills such as hairdressing. "I learned about it by watching online videos for a couple of hours, before practicing on five residents for free," the student said.

As a volunteer leader, Meng said the experience has made her realize that helping others is rewarded with lots of happiness.

HELPFUL NEIGHBOR

As the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai began to wane, Zheng Peipei returned to her hometown in Anhui province on May 23, when the lease for her apartment in the city expired.

The 33-year-old is still extremely concerned about her former neighbors in Shanghai, and continues to help them obtain groceries from online apps.

As the lockdown had a severe impact on logistics services, many platforms limited orders to specific hours of the day. For example, the Miss Fresh platform only allowed customers to place orders from 11:30 pm onward.

Working remotely for an online platform based in the United States that sells sneakers, Zheng is not worried about staying up until midnight and waking up early to help others obtain daily essentials.

"To be honest, I kind of enjoy it. Being able to help others makes life under quarantine much more bearable. It makes life meaningful," she said.

"In addition, I can place orders no matter where I am. So why not do it to help?"

Zhou Wenting and Lin Shujuan in Shanghai contributed to this story.