Lockdown brings out the best in many locals
From Wuhan to Shanghai, two neighbors with an unbreakable bond
For Wang Xiaolu, a resident of Changning District, it is unexpected to experience a second stay-at-home period since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Wuhan, Hubei Province.
"I am Shanghainese while my husband is from Wuhan. We happened to be in Wuhan when COVID-19 broke out," she said.
However, what impressed her most is one of her Wuhan neighbors, who traded walnuts for instant coffee with her, is now in Shanghai and living in Changning.
Coffee packets Wang gave to her neighbors in Wuhan during the city's lockdown in 2020
A bag on Wang's doorknob with 10 bags of instant coffee in it
Walnuts Wang received
"What kind of fate it is to let us meet again?" Wang wrote in a recent WeChat Moments post.
"I learned about my neighbor's wish for coffee from my compound's WeChat group in Wuhan, and I told her I had some," Wang recalled. "I don't drink coffee often. When people in the group said they wanted to have some coffee, I wanted to share it with them."
Wang put 10 bags of her instant coffee into a bag and hung it on her outside doorknob.
Then her neighbor, a woman whose WeChat name is "Sitong," took the instant coffee packets and replaced them with walnuts.
"I did not expect Sitong to be so warmhearted and give me walnuts in return," she said. "I found out she is working in Shanghai now as a volunteer in Changning during the lockdown."
Wang also volunteered when she was in Wuhan.
"I used to think it was a precious opportunity to have a lockdown experience in my life, but I really don't want another one," she said. "I hope COVID-19 is out of our lives soon."
Wang's Wuhan neighbor serves as a volunteer in a compound in Changning District.
Wang (left) served as a volunteer during the Wuhan lockdown.
Lawyer provides free legal services when lockdown in market
A young lawyer, Xuan Lei, spent 48 hours in a wet market after it was locked down while he was shopping.
A close contact of a COVID-19 case had recently visited the market, which is located close to his mother's home.
Xuan, 27, called his mother to tell her about the situation, and tried to calm several seniors in the market who were panicking about what was going on.
He decided to provide free legal services for people trapped in the market with him, creating a Powerpoint cover on his computer with the words "Legal Consultation."
Xuan Lei, a 27-year-old lawyer, provides free legal services during a 48-hour quarantine in a wet market.
The first person who came to him was an "ayi" (aunt) who had issues with her neighbor's surveillance camera, which she felt violated her family's privacy.
Xuan advised her to negotiate with the neighbor.
He gave legal counsel to seven other people in the market.
Xuan works for the Shanghai Wanzhong Law Firm, where one of his roles is to deal with complaints and petitions.
He also kept a lockdown diary in which he wrote about his life and inspirations.
"When I do petition-related work, what I feel most is normal people's feelings of helplessness." he wrote in his diary. "However, in the past two days, I have felt their spiritual power more than ever, which is very touching. Therefore, I want to do something for those people, helping them to have a more equal and happy life."
