Young violinist, following her dream, sits exam at makeshift hospital

Ti Gong

Escorted by a dabai, violinist Liu Xuanling sat for a special exam in a makeshift hospital at the Jing'an Sports Center on Friday afternoon.

The 15-year-old came from Zhejiang Province to attend the entrance exams for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

But she and her grandparents tested positive for COVID-19 and were sent to the hospital on Monday, under the watchful eyes of dabai – literally "big white," the nickname for personnel in protective suits.

During quarantine, she has practiced every day, which has moved many patients and front-line workers. She was also invited to attend Shanghai Daily's online concert "The Sound of Shanghai" on Tuesday night.

To help her successfully attend the online exam on Friday afternoon, Jing'an police officer Zhang Bin walked around every corner of the hospital to find her a proper site, one bathed in sunlight but where she would not disturb others, or be disturbed.

"They are guests to Shanghai. I hope her dream can come true, and I hope the family can recover as soon as possible," he said.

Liu tried a "simulated test" on Friday morning, and attended the actual test at 2pm. One dabai was there to maintain order and prevent anyone walking around to disturb her.

At 3:34pm, Zhang received a WeChat voice message from Liu who said: "I've finished the exam. It went well."

Zhang said: "Shanghai is a warm city. The haziness of COVID-19 will surely be dispelled, and life will go on."

He hopes Liu's story can give a powerful lift to others.

"Stay positive," he said.