The untold story of Wuhan

I arrived at Central China Normal University in September 2018, and I joined the School of Politics and International Studies. The diverse environment of the school, where people of different backgrounds from around the world come to study, influenced me. I met with different people across the globe and also had the opportunity to make new friends around the world. As a student of international relations, I like to meet different people and love to exchange ideas. After spending two years in this diverse environment I came to the conclusion that Wuhan is a city that defies categorization. In the last five years, Wuhan has become a more international and globalized city -- here we can see a lot of foreigners, especially in the optics valley. The first time I visited the optics valley, I was really surprised about the rapid development of this city. Foreigners have been attracted by the associated industries, business opportunities, investment environment, and rich source of talent from universities.

Five years ago, the concept of the "Chinese dream" was first mentioned during a speech by President Xi Jinping, The idea behind the concept is to increase people's happiness and prosperity, not only among Chinese but also people from around the world, especially those living in China. I have experienced several new things about the optics valley. It has shopping malls, markets, hotels, leisure and outing places, as well as many other forms of modern infrastructure. Optics Valley Time Plaza is a large-scale plaza that integrates leisure, entertainment, food, and shopping, with convenient transportation and a graceful environment. A large pedestrian street combines shopping, dining, and entertainment, travel and tourism.

In January 2020, I was walking with my friend as usual in the streets of Wuhan outside my school campus. Suddenly I got a phone call from one of my African friends who was working in the international office as well. He asked, "Ali where are you? The director of the international office Mr. Chen wants to see you." I arrived in the office a few moments later. Mr. Chen told us about COVID-19 in detail. He instructed all volunteers to share information including on precautionary measures about the new virus among all international students within the campus. As volunteers, we immediately spread out across campus and started our campaign door to door.

Initially when the lockdown began the students were worried because it was a new virus. But after some days we became used to it. The university's International Student Office was regularly in contact with us. ISO has provided us with everything: masks, a thermometer, free food delivery, medicines if necessary, and even Chinese traditional medicine to boost our immunity.

On April 6, 2020, our dorm gate was open to international students. After 76 days of lockdown were lifted, we became happy that Wuhan was getting back to normal. In our university international students are allowed to move around the campus. The superstore and other shops are open now, so we can buy anything that we need.

I conclude by offering some simple advice about how to make the best of your experience here in Wuhan. Share your knowledge and skills -- don't keep them to yourself. Embrace one another's opinion, and respect each other. And most of all, respect and abide by the laws of the country.

The author is a doctoral student at the School of Politics and International Studies, Central China Normal University in Wuhan.