The Diary of a Student Reporter of Nankai University on Fighting Covid-19 at the New Campus

My name is Wang Haocheng, a postgraduate of the College of Chemistry, Nankai University, and a student reporter of the university's news center.

At noon on January 8, I was taking photos for a topic of the new media center at Jinnan new campus (I usually stay at Balitai old campus) and suddenly received a group of messages: all the students must immediately report their travel tracks to the student counselors.

That's when I was aware of the COVID-19 outbreak in Jinnan District. After confirming with my counselor, I stayed at Jinnan campus.

At 7 PM on January 8, we were notified that all faculties and students at the campus need to undergo nucleic acid test.

While waiting in line, I was still in a relaxed mood and discussed with my friends about whether I could go back to Balitai Campus tonight and whether I needed to be under quarantine. I didn't realize at the time that this battle would come so quickly.

At 9 PM on January 8, after the nucleic acid test, we were informed that Jinnan Campus was in lockdown.

At that moment, I was anxious about both the progress of my experiment at the lab and the filming mission of the News Center on the 9th at Balitai Campus. But when I heard that I would move into the expert apartment, I feel lucky and grateful that the University arranged housing for stranded students properly.

At 8 AM on January 9, my phone alarm went off as usual, and I started my first day at Jinnan Campus.

I came to the canteen, seeing everyone lined up in order with the familiar delicious breakfast in their hands. Walking on the road, I could still see the security guards holding position amidst the cold wind. Everything here was running normally, and my inner tension and anxiety were gradually eased.

At 1 PM on January 9, when I went shopping in the supermarket, I happened to come across the staff replenishing goods. The fully loaded shelves made me at ease and supported our determination to defeat the pandemic.

At 5 PM on January 10, after receiving the WeChat message from our university, I went to the canteen early to taste the Laba porridge (traditional Chinese food for Laba Festival) prepared for us by the logistics department. The long queue in the liberal arts dining hall seemingly showed a sense of ritual in life despite the hard times of the pandemic. No matter how we felt this day, I believed that when we got this bowl of Laba porridge, our hearts would be filled with warmth.

In the wee hours of January 11, the counselor informed us to go to the gymnasium for the second nucleic acid screening. When we arrived at the scene, we found that the university had arranged personnel from different colleges and departments for the test in batches, which greatly reduced the waiting time and improved the testing efficiency.

While waiting, I grabbed my camera and recorded these real and heartwarming scenes.

At 4:30 PM on January 12, the Jinnan campus saw the third nucleic acid screening for all staff.

In the camera, there were always moments that fill us with courage and confidence.

The joy lies in the free Laba porridge shared for people around you in the canteen. Under the impact of the pandemic, everything might go wrong. But no matter what difficulties we face, Nankai people still love life.

The warmth lies in the moment when the volunteers sticking to the winter night got their warm pastes. Even with the cold wind, our hearts were still close together.

It seems to be the most impressive period of my 23-year life journey from January 8 to the present. During this period, I was anxious, worried, uneasy, touched, calmed, determined, and confident, which is the true journey of an ordinary student of Nankai University.

I recalled the first night I stayed at Jinnan Campus that I told a friend who lined up with me for the nucleic acid test: There are many stars in the night sky of Jinnan campus today. That’s Orion and that’s Sirius.

Those moments that filled me with confidence and courage, those volunteers who fought on the front line, and those teachers and classmates who gave me love and help were the stars I saw during my stay in the Jinnan campus. They shimmered and guided the way in the cold winter night.

For what will happen to our Jinnan campus in the future, I firmly believe that we will eventually usher in the dawn when we gather drops of “glimmer”.