True story in the FangCang coronavirus quarantine hospital in China

If you read about the coronavirus on press and social media in the US and Europe, you can probably only see panic and fear. However, the stories I see on WeChat is a completely different world. These are not propaganda or censored stories, but true stories from real people that no one is writing about in English media. So here I am, telling the “other side” of the story.

This is a picture taken by a patient from the FangCang Hospital in China. It’s a birthday party for the patients (in plain clothes and face masks in the picture), celebrated with cakes provided by the doctors (who are suited up in the picture).

Nothing like the “concentration camp” scene depicted by Western media, the doctors here treat the patients like family, as they voluntarily came here to help from other parts of China, leaving their own families aside during the Chinese New Year, a holiday for family gatherings.

You’ll often see the patients doing exercise routines lead by the medical professionals (again, in suits)…

…or someone more artistic like this lady dancing alone beautifully…

… or someone more of a quiet type, like this young fella, having his own moment with Chinese calligraphy.

Even if you have nothing else to do, there are shelves of books you can read, with topics ranging from history, economics, to fictions.

Personal items are well-supplied, with phone-charging lines so you can stay connected with the outside, and eye-shades and ear-plugs so you can sleep well.

The food here is also quite good. As a reference, this is on par with the dining hall standard of an average Chinese university.

Some doctor made a lovely snowman on the fence to cheer up the patients— what a gesture to make people feel warm-hearted and hopeful.

The patients feel being taken well care of, and are showing their appreciation by taking a memorable picture of the moment and welcoming the doctors to come back and visit after the crisis.

So as you can see, the Chinese government didn’t put people in a concentration camp, right? The patients, with the selfless help of the doctors, are finding ways to make their lives as normal as possible, while sacrificing their own freedom to be quarantined for the benefit of other people’s health and safety.