Portraits of a pandemic

The photos also show a magnolia tree neighboring Xu's studio in full bloom, which he says contrasted with the predicament faced by humans.

A selection of images came from people in Wuhan, Hubei province, the city hardest hit by the coronavirus. A highlight is Road Closure, a black-and-white photo by Pan Zhidao in which the Wuhan resident captured an overlook of the residential community in which he lives in the early morning of Feb 12.

"It was a pleasant day," Pan writes in an introduction to the photo.

"Looking out of my home's window, I saw one of the gates to our residential compound. There were no people in sight, but a bus blocked the road to the gate to keep outsiders from entering.

"I felt shocked and sad. It was going to be a tough spring for people in Wuhan."

Choice, taken by Chen Chen in Songyuan, Jilin province, offers a glimpse into the dire situations small businesses faced. It shows a grocery store owner, who looks helpless. He has no choice but to put up a "for-sale" sign.