A Frenchman's two Spring Festivals in Wuhan

Spending the weeklong Spring Festival holiday visiting relatives, setting off firecrackers, eating local specialties and lazing in the warm sunshine, Frenchman Balthazar Boyer was able to feel the familiar festive ambiance of Wuhan.

“It was a very pleasant week off. This Spring Festival was completely different to the last one,” said Boyer, 39.

Unlike last year, when he and his family spent the holiday anxiously in quarantine at home, they were delighted to celebrate together with family and friends this year, embracing normality in the megacity that was once hard-hit by COVID-19.

Boyer, the general manager of a French company’s China office, has lived in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, for nearly 20 years. He settled in the city after acquiring his master’s degree in law from Wuhan University and marrying a local woman.

Two weeks after Boyer and his wife returned to Wuhan from a family visit in France in January of last year, the city announced suspensions of public transportation as well as outbound flights and trains to fight the epidemic.

Although the French government organized several evacuations for its nationals in Wuhan, Boyer and his wife chose to stay.

“Why would we leave? Wuhan is our home,” said Boyer, adding that he was confident in the Chinese government’s response.

That year, the family spent the Lunar New Year holiday at home, watching the news every day to keep themselves updated.

“Balthazar’s birthday coincided with last year’s Spring Festival holiday, but we were in no mood for a celebration,” said Boyer’s wife, Hu Fan.

No worries

The couple’s anxieties and concerns gradually eased as they learned that medics nationwide were rushing to assist Wuhan, temporary hospitals were being built and infections were dropping. Their worries were also eased as their community organized group purchases to provide substantial daily necessities.

“I received so many kinds of foods besides what was needed for our daily meals — I could even try to cook different cuisines,” said Hu.

As Wuhan gradually regained its vitality, their lives also returned to normal. When Boyer resumed work, he required all his employees to maintain social distancing and wear masks at work.

Although shadowed by the pandemic in 2020, his optoelectronics business was just as profitable as it was in 2019.

Boyer and Hu geared up to celebrate the Spring Festival this year on February 12.

“We thoroughly cleaned our house ahead of the festival, hoping to sweep away all the bad luck of last year and welcome the good luck of the Year of the Ox,” said Hu.