While the faculty and students of Wuhan University are fighting against the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (NCP), many foreign friends and alumni of Wuhan University are offering hands to the prevention and control of the epidemic for the university, the city, even the country with tangible donations and spiritual consolations. On February 4, 2020, Yukio Hatoyama, former Prime Minister and member of the Japanese House of Representatives, , , expressed his consolation to Wuhan University via his colleague Tsutomu Takamura.
The virus-caused grave situation in Wuhan has been of deep concern and solicitude of Mr. Hatoyama. The first meeting of the preparatory committee for the charity donation, at his proposal, has been held on February 6 and 7 for collecting medical supplies and other relief goods for Wuhan and surrounding cities under lockdown. It is reported Mr. Yukio Hatoyama and Mr. Tsutomu Takamura had already sent a batch of relief goods in the first place. Recently, they are discussing further supports to the medical group of Wuhan University with unblocked channels for delivering aid supplies. Mr. Tsutomu Takamura is to arrive in Beijing with medical supplies, hi-tech devices for epidemic prevention and letter from Mr. Yukio Hatoyama.
Beforehand, letters for concern, consolation and supports have arrived from sister institutions overseas, faculties and students in Confucius Institute and international faculties of WHU who have returned home for holiday.
Kate Moore, Director of Global Initiates and Strategy, University of Chicago, said in his letter, “I would like to express my deep consolation to friends in Wuhan University, who are suffering from the battle. Today, we realize that there is one confirmed case in Chicago. It shows that we live in a small world. We always stand by your side. Wuhan boasts an outstanding achievement in public health. We are confident in the quality of medicine and treatment of Wuhan and its timely actions. …… We notice that many people collect donations through WeChat and other social media. If you need any help and assist, please let us know.”
Aciel C. Armony, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, University of Pittsurgh said, “We wanted to extend our sincere thoughts and concerns for you during this challenging time. The news here in the United States regarding the current health crisis in Wuhan sounds very dire and we wanted you to know that we are thinking about you all and hoping for a quick resolution to the situation. We also want you to know that we value our relationship with our esteemed colleagues at Wuhan University and we are hoping that all of your families are safe and well. Let me also take this moment to wish you peace, happiness and much prosperity in the New Year of the Rat. Happy new year!” Lain Martin, Vice-chancellor of Deakin University, Australia wrote a consolation letter to Chairman Han Jin and President Dou Xiankang, “We feel very grieved when hearing the news and deeply understand the tough situation facing students, faculties and their families of Wuhan University, as well as all citizens. ... At this sad and tough time, we salute and pray for the teachers and students of Wuhan University. We sincerely hope that the novel coronavirus can be controlled as soon as possible, patients receive treatment timely and the situation can be reversed quickly. We have prepared to offer help that you need and are determined to face up with the global challenge with scientists for a long period of time. In the letter to Vice-president Li Fei, Wendy Alexander, Vice-principal of University of Dunkee expressed that “We will offer any support we can to Wuhan colleagues and students. The JEP project department is working on a plan to ensure maximum support for Wuhan University and its students. For our JEP Architecture programme, staff are planning for possible scenarios to ensure we can support the partnership and students as best we can. We will work closely with the Wuhan School of Urban Design colleagues on this to ensure a joint co-ordinated approach.”
Mr. Duke, Mayor of Duisburg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, decided to donate anti-epidemic goods to the sister city Wuhan immediately after he learned about the situation from some enterprises in Duisburg and the Confucius Institute in Ruhr city.
Faculties and students of Burg Gymnasium Essen in Germany delivered the power of love to Wuhan University and the City of Wuhan with the song Let the World be Filled with Love. Zhang Yungang, head of the Chinese choir of the school, told China News Service that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan had touched the hearts of teachers and students in the school. The Chinese choir and some students who attended the autumn camp at Wuhan University in 2019 hoped to express their love and supports for Wuhan through the song. Sylvia Schroeder, teacher of the School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, who is from Germany, had to return home since Wuhan is blocked. After returning to Germany, she expressed her concern and greetings to her Chinese colleagues and helped look for medical protective equipment in Germany and Ireland. When Wuhan is becoming synonymous with the coronavirus that is causing a national emergency and concern around the world, she felt pretty sad and immediately wrote an essays which says “What I’ve seen over the last few weeks is a city that has come together with an unrivalled resolve to overcome a major crisis through combined strength of solidarity in the face of adversity, a people working together in self-sacrifice, an unbelievable determination to get the situation under control, and a hope for normality to return as soon as possible. People are going out of their way to help and support each other. They choose to believe that they can beat the crisis to return life to normal as quickly as possible. … In time and when everything has returned to normality, it will be everything else Wuhan has to offer that will again attract people to its shores. As for me, I will continue to tell the story of the city I love and of its wonderful, welcoming, strong people, and I look forward in anticipation to my return and to better times.”
Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7 and Université Clermont-Auvergne in France, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Radboud University Nijmegen in Netherlands, University of California, Riverside and Seton Hall University in the United States, Mcgill University and University of British Columbia in Canada, University of Melbourne, Sydney University and Monash University in Australia, Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, the director of Confucius Institute in Ruhr city—Markus Taube，PhD student, University of Cambridge—Nora Topor Kalinskij and other international friends all expressed their concern and blessings to Wuhan University and people in this city, and their confidence in Wuhan to defeat the epidemic as soon as possible.
At the same time, the epidemic in Wuhan has been of the concern of WHU alumni overseas. Alumni associations and alumni around the world have spared no efforts to raise needed medical supplies such as masks, protective clothing and goggles. They also take all their way to ensure the arrival of these supplies at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and other hospitals in Wuhan.
Act of human kindness brings warmth and hope in dreadful times. As the Chinese saying goes, “Trouble on one side, help from all sides.” Mr. Tsutomu Takamura also said, “The national boundaries between China and Japan will never change the fact that we share a family on the earth. Let’s fight together! Stay strong!” The concern, encouragement and supports from overseas friends and alumni strengthen our faith of success to win this battle.
Rewritten by: Chen Muying
Edited by: Cao Siyi, Shen Yuxi and Hu Sijia
