Front-line doctor's diary published as a book

Ti Gong

The diary of Zha Qiongfang, a doctor from Renji Hospital who was dispatched to support Hubei Province, has been published as a book recording the medics' life in epidemic-stricken Wuhan.

The book, released by the hospital on Monday, is the nation's first officially published diary written by a medical worker assisting Hubei in fight against the coronavirus disease, the hospital said. An audio book will later be available on platforms like Ximalaya and Qingting FM.

It is now being translated into Vietnamese and a Vietnamese version will be published soon. Publishers in other countries are also showing interest in the book.

According to the hospital, the book contains 67 excerpts from Zha's diary during her stay in Wuhan between January 24 and March 31. Readers can learn about China's response to the epidemic as well as the work of medics on the front line.

The first group of Shanghai medics from 52 local hospitals set out to Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital on January 24, Chinese New Year's Eve, when Wuhan was hit hard by the coronavirus. As one among the 136 members, Zha was busy fighting the new virus and kept a diary to record the experience.

In the book's preface, Chen Guoqiang, head of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, said Zha used simple words to express her deep feelings. The book doesn't tell a big story but daily events related to ordinary people including medical workers, police officers, social workers, volunteers, bus drivers and deliverymen. These small things all build a large picture of China's fight against coronavirus.

Zha said that at the beginning she wrote the diary just to record her work experience and share information with friends in Shanghai. Later the diary was put online by media and gained a wide following.

Ti Gong

Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE