When the whole nation started to fight the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic,nearly every city was mired in anxiety and depression. That was when Looking Out For 2020: The Anchorman Vlog came out. The vlogger, Zhao Di, used a macro-lens camera to record how Nanjing fought the epidemic,uploading a vlog entry every day, focusing on ordinary people’s faith in and contribution to China’s anti-epidemic efforts. 

 

First, February 3 was a critical point.During the Spring Festival, I had been watching news on TV,surfing the Internet reading news. I felt obliged, as a media worker, to record what was happening in this era. People generally pay close attention to and trust what they wish to hear and see from the mainstream media. I work as an anchorman, as well as a reporter, and I make videos too. I also run social media accounts. Therefore, it occurred to me that maybe I could look at how Nanjing was fighting the anti-epidemic battle. It turned out that the real world was different from the one in my mind. I knew from daily experience that the traffic on the belt highway used to be rather heavy; however, that day it was fast flowing because there were very few cars on the road. Then, I saw a bus with a sign reading “not in service.” I remember when I was interviewing the Nanjing Bus Group, I was deeply moved by their Secretary of the Youth League Committee who said, “You know what? It means so much to our bus drivers that you, a TV reporter,come to interview one of us.” The interview video, when completed, aroused unexpected echoes among the audience, and it was even forwarded to overseas Nanjingers. Therefore, I realized that making people visible to a larger audience in their fight against COVID-19 was of great importance,in addition to sharing information.

 

The 52 days was almost like 52 days of military training to me. I left home at seven or eight o’clock every morning.I would tick the checkboxes to “download to my cell phone” the source material before I started heading home in my car after I finished the interview. That way, I would be ready to edit the video after a quick meal at home. That would be around 1 p.m. Since I used my cell phone to edit the videos during that period, I had to drag and tap the material time and again with my thumbs. I repeated the movement so many times that I ended up with tenosynovitis. 3 p.m. was the time that I was supposed to send the edited video to the new media editor, who was working from home at that time. He would post an article through our WeChat Official Account late in the afternoon. But my work for the day was not finished yet because I was scheduled to edit the video and share it on platforms like the WeChat Video Channel,Douyin app and Kuaishou app. After that, I would make contacts with people, preparing for interviews for the next day and the day after that. Last, I would check the comments on our videos. I was always telling myself to stay the course during that period. 

 

You may wonder whether I was concerned about the risk of myself getting infected. Well, there was one day when I risked a greater danger of infection:the day I went to the Nanjing First Hospital. Hospitals were always considered the most dangerous place to go, and people would avoid going there if they had a choice, especially during the epidemic. But I had to do my job in making the video, and that day was very important, too, for it was the day the medical team of the Nanjing First Hospital set off for Hubei. When I was in the hospital,I realized that the panic mostly came from lack of information. The hospital had taken sufficient preventive measures against the epidemic. My friend at the hospital took me to the area where the fever clinic was located. My concern at that time was that I was not sure whether my personal protection was good enough because I had not been that well equipped with epidemic prevention materials. My only concern was in case I got infected, I might then infect others because I had to interview people working at different places. That was what I had been specifically concerned about.

 

I think China’s epidemic prevention and control has boosted confidence of Chinese people, especially the younger generation. First, our governments at all levels have been doing their part. Second, we have a shared understanding from the higher levels to the grassroots: we must fight the battle against the epidemic, and we are sure to win. We stuck to the basic principles of information transparency and protecting life and safety of the people. If one is in need, all render help. As we are young, we naturally pay more attention to the youth of today. It occurred to us that the actions of the young generation who were born in the 1980s and 1990s during the fight may change people’s stereotyped view of them. And I have observed with my own eyes during the interviews that the young people who were born in the 1980s and 1990s have been working on the front lines of the anti-epidemic battle, demonstrating the vigor of youth.

 

You know, sometimes, when you are deeply touched, you will feel a lump in your throat. Once I met a girl on duty at the Siqiao screening spot from the Nanjing Road Development Company,and I asked her a casual question. I asked her how long she was required to stand there on duty. Her answer was eight hours a day. I said, “What? Eight hours?” I just could not believe it. For I was nearly frozen from head to foot, after standing outside there for just 20 minutes or so. Therefore, it was hard for me to imagine a girl standing out there for as long as eight hours. My thought at the moment was there were many other people who were working extremely hard, harder than I could imagine. There was another scenario that also had to do with cold weather. On February 4, I went to Nanjing South Railway Station for an interview. When it was lunch time,  the epidemic prevention personnel put all the lunch boxes on the steps because they could not eat indoors according to the anti-epidemic requirements at that time, and there were no tables outside. The food became cold in no time when you opened the lunch box. I can still see the picture in my mind: with their backs clothed in protective garments, the volunteers looked just like Baymax in the movie—big, cute, and adorable. The way they ate their meals standing in a row touched me deeply. I thought that was something we called hope. Since all of them were young volunteers, we entitled the vlog entry for that day  “We Can Eat Side by Side and Fight Shoulder to Shoulder.”

 

It never occurred to me that I would use the anti-epidemic themed vlogs to earn me any honor; instead, my only wish was that the epidemic could end as soon as possible and that we could return to a normal life. That was my wish. Later, the vlog did win me some honorary titles for the program’s innovation, for boosting positive energy in society, and for volunteering services. While the vlog received the credit and audience recognition, I also had the honor of being awarded the Nanjing Youth May Fourth Medal. For me, the honor is a recognition of an important experience of mine: I was there as part of the battle against COVID-19,in addition to my growth in the media field in the past decade. I remember clearly what was emphasized at the meeting to commend role models: in China’s fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, we put people first and people’s lives first. Though China’s GDP growth slowed down  due to the epidemic fight, it was worthwhile. I am deeply moved by those words at the meeting, as I think they represent the deep and pure love of a country for its people. I am so proud of my country.

 

The 52 episodes of Looking Out For 2020: The Anchorman Vlog displayed our confidence in winning the battle against COVID-19 during the hardest time. They look back at the country’s gradual recovery, reflecting the positive energy of the people united as one to fight the epidemic.