Taiwan natives provide help during the pandemic

Chen Wen-cheng, 31, from Changhua, Taiwan, community volunteer for epidemic prevention and control in Beijing

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 on the mainland gave me a new responsibility and experience-working as an epidemic-control volunteer in my community.

I am a postdoctoral researcher at Peking University. I came to the mainland in 2011 to study for a master's and then a doctorate in physical education. I met my wife in Beijing. She's a primary school teacher from Henan province.

My wife's pregnancy made it difficult to travel, so this year was the first time I hadn't returned to my hometown in Taiwan for the Spring Festival holiday.

After the outbreak in Wuhan, communities across the country began to take precautions. I live in a residential area in Haidian district where there were no confirmed cases, but strict management measures were still implemented.

When I learned that my community needed volunteers for epidemic prevention, I wanted to join them as I had the time and am in good health. My wife supported me and said it would be good to do what I could so long as I wore protective equipment.

On Feb 4, I went to the community center to sign up as a volunteer. The director was surprised to learn that I came from Taiwan, but appreciated my commitment very much. He put a volunteer's armband on my arm. At that moment, I felt a great sense of responsibility.

My job was to stand at the gates of my residential area to check the entry permits and temperatures of people who entered and remind them to wear masks. I felt like a guard when I was on duty.

I was often on duty from 8 pm to 10 pm. One night it was snowing heavily while I was on duty. It was so cold standing outside that I had to rub my hands together and stamp my feet to keep warm.

I usually worked with a 70-year-old resident, and it was admirable that he was on the front line of epidemic prevention at his age. The work was simple and repetitive, but also very important.

Some residents have to enter self-quarantine at home when they return to Beijing from certain locations. We have to carry daily necessities to their homes and take delivery of parcels for them.

The residents have been very understanding and appreciate our efforts. I have lived in the neighborhood for about five years, but I had seldom interacted with my neighbors. The volunteer work helped me become acquainted with them.

When people hear my Taiwan accent, they look at me differently and with curiosity. They ask about my hometown, local customs and travel in Taiwan, as well as people's daily lives there.

My neighbors thought it was tough for a young man from Taiwan whose wife was pregnant to be a volunteer at that difficult time. Their praise made me happy.

Since our baby was born in June, I have spent less time as a volunteer. When I finish my research later this year, I will become a university teacher in Beijing.

In the future, I will devote myself to more cross-Straits activities, and I hope my efforts will help people from both sides of the water get to know each other better.