VOLUME 1 • ISSUE NO. 1
THE NEW ISOLATION
FOR ALL THOSE WHO'VE HAD A HARD TIME DURING COVID-19
LOVE TRUST PROTECT
1
OCTOBER 2020
ABOUT
The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted people in a lot of ways, whether on education or business. In this magazine, I'll address several interviews with students, teachers, and industry professionals to show how has the pandemic impacted them and what their thoughts are about the Asianhate issues during the outbreak.
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The Home of Kindness Is a medical aid project of the Children's Hope Rescue Foundation. It is established and volunteered by a group of caring parents, aiming to provide "a warm home and a hope of love" for children in distress when they seek medical treatment in first-tier cities. The small home is close to the local children's hospital, which is clean,
The author will donate all profits from the sale of the magazine to the "Home of Kindness" medical organization
comfortable and warm. It provides transitional accommodation, self-help
CHILDRENSHOPE.ORG.CN
kitchen, medical coordination, psychological counseling, postoperative rehabilitation, case fundraising and other help and services.
AUTHOR'S DEDICATION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 About 3 Dedication 5 Introduction of Asian-hate Crimes 6
Poem
7 Student Interviews 21 Teacher Interviews 28 Quarantine Diary 30 Traveling Album 33 Industry Professionals Interviews 36 Aviation Industry 40 Online Gaming Industry 44 Catering Industry 47 Editor's Note 52 Thank You Page
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NEWS
ASIAN-HATE CRIMES ATLANTA >
ORANGE COUNTY >
SHOOTINGS IN ATLANTA I
CRIME INCREASE IN ORANGE COUNTY
Fry, Hannah. "Hate attacks are up in Orange County, with a huge increase against Asian Americans, new report says." Los Angeles Times, 17 Sept. 2021, www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-17/hatecrime-incident-report-in-orange-county.
A
n recent weeks, a
ccording to a new research, hate crimes in
Orange County surged by 35% in 2020, the biggest
succession of high-profile
yearly increase in at least a decade. Hate-motivated
attacks against Asian Americans attacks that did not escalate to the level of a criminal,
have made national news,
known as hate incidents, climbed by 69 percent, partly
eliciting public outrage,
due to a 19-fold spike in attacks on Asian Americans.
legislative comments, and President Joe Biden's condemnation. Then, on Tuesday, things took a dramatic turn when a shooter opened fire at a spa in suburban Atlanta, killing eight people, six of whom were Asian women.
Over the last year, Asian Americans have been confronted with an additional scourge: an insidious surge in racist harassment, discrimination, and violence, while all Americans have experienced the health concerns and economic anxieties of the pandemic.
NEW YORK >
NYC CRIME NEW YORK HUSBAND OF ASIAN WOMAN ATTACKED BY HATEFUL STRANGER
The killings this week brought anti-Asian racism and brutality to the forefront of the national
T
he husband of an Asian woman
The husband, who works in a restaurant,
who was attacked in Midtown by
said, "He was charging his phone on the
discussion, and they intensified
a racist stranger says he's pleased she
kiosk near the corner." "We had nothing
sentiments of deep sadness, fury,
wasn't gravely wounded. The 64-year-
to do with him," says the narrator. We
and terror among Asian
old husband and his 63-year-old wife
were only looking for a way to get some
were strolling down W. 54th St. near
extra cash by picking up bottles." Bell
Broadway around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday
has been charged with three counts of
when the guy yelled, "F——-g Asians,
hate crime assault and one act of hate
get the f—- back to China!"
crime robbery.
Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Hansen, Claire. "The Atlanta Spa Shootings and the Year of Hatred Against Asian Americans." U.S. News, 19 march 2021, www.usnews.com/news/nationalnews/articles/2021-03-19/the-atlanta-spa-shootingsand-the-year-of-hatred-against-asian-americans. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Burke, Kerry. "Husband of Asian woman attacked by hateful stranger in Midtown says it could have been much worse." Yahoo! News, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2021, news.yahoo.com/husband-asian-woman-attacked-hateful-231300626.html. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
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Asian
WHEN I REALIZED MY FRIEND WAS WHITE
Poetry
Nicolaou, Elena. "Oprah's Friend Keith Yamashita Wrote a Poem 'So Striking,' She Had to Share It With Us." Oprah Daily, 26 Mar. 2021, www.oprahdaily.com/life/a35937937/oprah-keith-yamashita-poem-when-i-realized-my-friend-was-white/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Poetry, too, can aid in the expression and processing of our deepest suffering and trauma. Oprah's recent chat with Keith Yamashita, founder and chairman of the consulting firm SYPartners, emphasized this point. Following the recent killings at three Atlanta-area spas, when eight people were slain, six of them were Asian women, Yamashita was motivated to write a poem.
By Keith Yamashita I am five He is five His name is Greg He has an older brother Mark We are playing He says, “You are a ch*nk, and I can’t play with you.” “Am I what?” I ask “You are a dirty ch*nk. I can’t play with you.” I didn’t know what he meant, so I rebuffed him “I am not dirty. I just took a bath.” “No, you are a ch*nk. My brother says you are a ch*nk, and we can’t play with ch*nks.” “What is a ch*nk?” I ask “Don’t know, but you are one.” Greg says But I didn’t know I had never heard that word before I didn’t know why I was one “Are you a ch*nk?” I ask Greg. “I don’t know. I need to go ask Mark.” Mark comes back. He pulls his round eyes flat with his fingers, like this. “All slanty, and that is why we ain’t gonna play with you.” I tried for the next week to open my eyes wide. I failed. My parents had to explain to me that Greg and Mark were white And that I was Chinese and Japanese Years later, I found out that my parents moved me to this all-white neighborhood so we’d fit into America—
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So that we’d become Americans
Some questions I asked.
01. Have you experienced Asian-hate during the pandemic? What's your thought?
02. How has pandemic affected your education? 03. Are you making any plan changes?
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DORI XIZHI DONG
24 JUN
STELLA CHUHAN WANG 8
Dori D. MISS PORTER'S SCHOOL
"
This outbreak has been very unfriendly to
I think there has to be
students during graduation season, and
something that's done to
the cancellation of exams has caused a
address the Asian hate
lot of inconvenience. Many people in the
crimes now as so many innocent Asians face hostility and being randomly shot up just because of their race.
application season are at a disadvantage in the application process because of the lack of standardized scores.
When I was walking on a
In my opinion, online courses are fine for street in Boston, I was
high school students and college students. publicly being yelled at by a stranger and was told to go back to my home country, but I was living in Boston at the time, so technically Boston
However, for younger students who lack the consciousness of independent learning, they cannot finish their homework efficiently. On the contrary,
was my home. I felt unsafe at
they add a lot of chaos to students and
the moment.
their families, and it is also a test of students' self-discipline.
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STELLA W. The current online teaching method has no essential changes in teaching content and quality, but it reduces the interaction between teachers and students and reduces the fun of class. In addition, the long time online teaching, eyes are easy to fatigue. Although the novel coronavirus has brought great uncertainty to travel, entry and visa, I have not changed my future study plan at present.
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MIKI YUNWEI YANG
2 JULY
IVY SUPICHA TANGCHAKKRACHAI 11
Miki Y. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO I think the teaching style has a great influence on me. Because international students originally had face-to-face classes, but now they have changed to The hate crimes towards Asians during the pandemic really hurt me because I
online courses, there will be a problem of unstable Internet. And I think a bigger problem is that the online courses are not long, so the amount of courses and
couldn't feel safe after all the gunshots. I’ve already
assignments will be very large, which will be different from before.
been doing some social activism projects for women,
I don't think there is any problem with online courses, because they are still in
so I’ve been doing research on social activism related articles; however, I think in terms of the Asian-hate activism projects, there aren't many that I’m seeing. I am currently working on a project that promotes justice for the six Asian women
class after all. But I don't think it's reasonable that our tuition hasn't changed significantly, because the effect of online courses is certainly not as great as that of offline courses.
The epidemic situation will not have much impact on my future study plan. Maybe I will only apply to American universities before, but because of the situation this year, I may consider applying to some
who’ve been killed during the Atlanta shooting.
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Universities in the UK. But other than that, I'm following my original plan.
Ivy T. Miss Porter's School
Next, I will show you what kind of struggle an American student has experienced during the epidemic. My roommate Ivy is a Thai American. During the epidemic, she once considered transferring to some private schools in her hometown of New York, but she chose to stay in Miss Porters in the end due to various factors.
She experienced a car crash during last summer and due to COVID-19, it was difficult for her to receive treatment at the hospital.
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Asian-hate has been a long-lasting problem in America for centuries. Speaking of its origin, it can be dated all the way back to the “Yellow Peril,” the pandemic has just exacerbated the problem. I live in New York, and there I haven’t met any hostility right against me, but I’ve heard friends being threatened by strangers. This isn’t a small problem, and we have to fight it patiently.
I think coronavirus has definitely had an impact on the way we teach seeing as this pandemic has helped educators realize the importance of different testing methods as well as pursuing different methods for students to practice and apply what they have learned. It challenges
For one thing, it’s unnecessary for
teachers also to discover new
students to receive busy work simply
efficient ways of educating the
because students “have more free
students.
time.” By giving students more difficult material while
Most boarding schools have done
simultaneously giving them less work
an amazing job at maintaining their
to do, students are able to focus
ability to educate during this time
more on the material rather than
through online education; however, I
giving only half their effort. This
do think that there are also a lot of
method allows students who have
things that schools can improve on.
mastered the material to finish faster while making sure that students who are having a more difficult time actually focus on the
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material.
STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS Different schools have different policies. Different schools have issued different policies during the pandemic. Although almost all schools closed in March, the opening policies vary slightly from school to school. For example, my school Miss Porters adopted the method of synchronizing offline and online courses this semester. I've also heard that some other schools, like Proctor Academy, still take classes online with inclass students.
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GRACE PEIYAO WANG
ASA CHEN
HAODI SHI 16
GRACE W. BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY For the Asian American communities that are experiencing this, it just feels like an all-out assault. Looking at the traveling policies from the United States to Asian countries, I feel left out because it almost feels like we are prohibited from entering the country. Although it is getting better now, we should definitely do more protests or campaigns about hate crimes right now.
The impact of COVID-19 on international students is huge. Since March, our courses have been transferred to online courses. With online classes, the amount of homework has increased. However, as the quality of online classes is not as high as that of online classes, many students fail to complete the assigned assignments according to the standards on time, resulting in a decline in grades. Similarly, THE AP exam was also affected. I had to cancel one of my three AP exams, and I had to learn the remaining two AP courses by myself.
The AP teacher this year is also a new test method, and we know the time is very late, so we only have a little time to adapt and prepare for the test. Online courses are still not as high quality as offline courses. There are a lot of variables, like Internet speed, time difference, and electronic malfunctions.
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ASA C. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY The lack of response from the general public further demonstrated hostility against minorities are often overlooked and not being taken enough seriously. Over the past year, with the rise of asian hate crimes, it’s evident that countries have a far way to go before minority groups can really feel safe and welcomed.
Online courses have promoted the construction of information technology in many schools. Schools that have all offline classes have built relevant teaching platforms due to the epidemic, and can take advantage of the Internet to a greater extent. One of the
As online learning becomes mainstream and some test formats change, children and teachers who "study to the test" have to adapt to the new assessment format; Teaching
interesting aspects of online courses is that you can type and speak in group chat, feedback and reply in real time without interrupting the teacher during class.
has also changed to an "online mode" and some discussions in class have changed.
I applied to an American university, which gave me more time to do things I wouldn't normally do, like reading.
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Haodi S. University of Chicago
As a Chinese, I definitely feel indignant about the Asian-hate crime issues that are happening right now in the States. I think for us as Asians, we should protect ourselves in the first
But I think when it comes to college applications, it's more about grades or other
place, but at the same time, to not attack other people, namely social distancing which we should be doing anyways during the pandemic.
metrics that they can look at. Even if exams are abolished, there will still be many things that can be used to measure academic ability.
I think on one hand, it definitely has an
I haven't changed my plan much, but many of
impact on teaching methods. Because
my classmates and the Chicago group are
the overall feeling and experience of
discussing whether to have a gap year or not.
online classes are certainly different,
However, many people have finished their
for example, we will have various
application. I heard that more than half of the
technical problems, network problems, not having a timely class, or can't have timely chat. Because online classes
Chinese people at UCLA have finished their application. Parents will certainly be very worried, but through my judgment of this virus, I
will limit many parts of group discussion or presentation, such as interpersonal expression or communication, from a compromise. I think this has the biggest impact on
think its risk to me, a relatively healthy person under the age of 20, is extremely controllable. In addition, some measures can reduce the impact on me, and THE reason why I don't want
me personally. And then the
to gap a year is due to some personal
cancellation of the exam, it doesn't
considerations, such as my age and I don't want
have a big impact on me because I've
to delay my interest in the market.
already taken all the exams I need to take.
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Distance Learning Thank you to all the teachers!
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Interviews with Teachers
During the epidemic, faculty members were often convened to come up with the best policy to deal with the epidemic without compromising the quality of teaching. I also interviewed three teachers to show the differences between their ideas and those of students.
01. Miao Hwang - a Chinese teacher at Miss Porters
02. Tengyue Feng - an Application Consultant
03. Xinxiao Tian - a Standardized Test Tutor
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JULY 21
Miao Hwang Ms. Hwang is my advisor and also the mandarin teacher at Miss Porter's School. She grew up in Taiwan.
I think the Coronavirus has changed the whole educational system. First of all, on-site teaching is transformed into online teaching. The teacher can't hear every student at the same time in class, especially in groups. And students can't ask a teacher two questions in time like they did at school in the cafeteria, or find out in the hallway that there's a test tomorrow when a classmate asks him how he's doing. And the online class when the student is not concentrated, is not doing other things only students know. So online teaching shifts the responsibility of learning to students, who have to be responsible for their own learning. The teacher can't keep an eye on the students any longer. What's more, with the cancellation of many examinations and sports competitions, students have to find other ways to perform in order to gain admission to their favorite universities. This is the time for students to use their imagination and creativity. At the same time, students are not able to travel, so they can search for knowledge on the Internet and chat with their friends and
Ms. Hwang grew up in Taiwan and attended an all-girls’ middle and high school. She came to the United States to study at the University of New Haven, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She then entered into the STARTALK Chinese Teachers Summer Program. After finishing the program, Ms. Hwang became an assistant to the program for eight years. She also taught at the Hopkins School and Lauraton Hall, then ran the New Haven Chinese School for three years before starting at Porter’s in 2014.
Photograph by Miss Porter's School
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classmates on the Internet. You can also increase your knowledge. And students can diversify their learning by doing things they've never done before, like growing plants or fruits and vegetables in their backyard, or doing yoga at home.
To help teachers prepare for online teaching next year, Porter Girls sent teachers to three weeks of training to learn teaching strategies, online teaching techniques, and the differences between online and on-site teaching. In order to maintain social distancing, the school lowered the number of students in each class. In order to accommodate students who cannot return to campus, the school will open online classes, and to accommodate the time difference, the school will open classes at 7 am or 7 PM. The school really put a lot of thought into it. Although online teaching has many shortcomings, it does break through the limitations of space.
The past has passed, and no one knows what the future will be like. Where to study is a matter of opinion, and there is no perfect place to study. The
I think the novel Coronavirus outbreak has awakened the world. People often don't know what they have until they lose it. Novel Coronavirus also opens
key is to learn what you're passionate about. With enthusiasm, learning can be very happy and easy. In addition to subjects, people are also
new doors. People are trying
important learning items, such
new things. It's a blessing in
as creativity, leadership,
disguise. In my opinion, what
teamwork, organization,
students need to change in their
problem solving, etc. In a word,
future learning plan is to grasp
learning is for myself, not for
the present.
parents, not for friends.
Interviewed by Jenny Sun
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TENGYUE FENG Ms. Feng has been a professional education consultant for years, and all her students went to great high school and universities.
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Since I am not directly engaged in
Some schools have also changed the
teaching, it is difficult to discuss this issue
way they evaluate their courses. For
in detail. As far as I know, the impact of
example, they submit papers instead of
the epidemic on teaching should be
exams, and the final grade is only
mainly from offline teaching to online
Pass/Fail. These changes put new
teaching. In some schools, if there are
demands on teachers, such as the use
international students, some students may
of technology tools, how to ensure
only be able to take recorded courses due
good teaching results when classes are
to the time difference. Therefore, the
recorded, how to better evaluate
teaching plan should be designed to take
students' learning through assignments,
into account those students who cannot
and how to motivate students to keep
participate in the classroom in real time.
learning in the new way.
Online courses, compared with
If students' education depends on
traditional classroom teaching, have
online teaching for a long time, the
higher requirements on students' time
development of these aspects may
management ability, self-control,
have some negative effects.
planning and execution ability, so if a student knows how to take advantage
The pandemic does have an impact on
of this change, in the process of
many families' educational plans, such
developing their own skills in these
as concerns about their children's
aspects, it is actually a good
health and safety, but it is more about
opportunity. However, the
the changing international and
disadvantages of online teaching are
economic situation. For example, given
also obvious. For example, some
the current tensions between China
courses cannot be implemented or the
and the United States, many families
effect is not ideal if they are
who originally planned to study in the
transferred online, such as art, sports
United States may choose to study in
and practice-oriented science courses.
other countries (such as Switzerland) or
During this process, some students
stay in China.
reported that online learning was not as effective as classroom learning,
In addition, some families may have
such as the Internet was not good
some changes in their financial
enough, and frequent email exchanges
situation due to the impact of the
with teachers to confirm certain things.
epidemic, thus adjusting their children's
In addition, some students will feel
study plans abroad.
lonely when they receive online education at home. In addition, the value of school education is not only to provide a place for students to learn knowledge, but more importantly, to realize the process of socialization, to know how to cooperate, communicate, develop interpersonal skills and leadership. These are very important skills that are best accomplished based on human interaction.
INTERVIEWED BY JENNY SUN
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Shawn Tian MR. TIAN IS AN EXPERIENCED STANDARDIZED TEST TUTOR. HE HAS BEEN A TUTOR FOR YEARS, AND LAST YEAR, HE HAS OPENED HIS OWN INSTITUTION, NAMED FAFAN EDUCATION. I think the impact of the Novel
Therefore, the influence on teaching
Coronavirus on teaching methods is
methods is mainly reflected in online
certainly very clear. Because no matter
teaching. As some teachers are not
schools within the system or outside the
accustomed to online teaching, the
system, no matter schools in China or
effectiveness of teaching information
abroad, in fact, when the COVID-19
transmission needs to be improved (or
outbreak was the most serious, they all
sometimes they will encounter some
adopted the form of online classes.
problems).
Online classes, different from the traditional way of offline class, is constrained by time and space conditions, some of the larger influence on teaching methods, such as interactive kind, communication of information of a failure, because, after all, face to face communication information transfer must be better than the validity of online information transmission way.
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The overall trend of studying abroad in the long run For studying abroad, it depends on
In fact, there are many problems for
different family conditions, horizons and
many schools to adopt online
knowledge or educational background.
education. First, it depends on the
This plan for the future of children may be
level of the school, such as primary
different. For the parents of the middle
school, high school or university. If
and upper class or those with relatively
you're in college, or even high school,
high income in China, I think they are
this works better. Especially for
knowledgeable people and will choose to
younger students, I think the effect will
study in the United States more often.
be weaker. Because if the teacher is
Because the truth is not that America is
not on site, the children can not be
particularly messed up, as the news
effectively organized and arranged;
reports. America has some fundamental
So, for those who have less self-
values and roots. That's number one.
control, younger children may have a
Secondly, I think outside of the UK, the UK
much, much weaker effect.
is Oxford and Cambridge and Imperial College, apart from that, it's really hard to find an alternative to some of the top universities in the US. So in the long run, or in the next 30 years, I think studying in the United States is still a trend. It is just that some middle class Chinese families or some families who are hesitant themselves may turn to the UK and Australia to study, I basically think so.
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DIARY OF QUARANTINE BY Xiaofan Xie
I had made plans to travel to
In order to reduce human contact, our
California for spring break, but had
daily necessities are usually ordered
to cancel my long-awaited spring
through supermarkets and delivered to
break trip as California became the
our homes. American supermarkets are
epicenter of the epidemic in the
open, but sometimes they run short of
United States. Many people around
goods. Due to heavy order and delivery
them were forced to abandon their
demand, some supermarkets will only
travel plans and spend a week at
open at regular times rather than all
home on spring break. Restaurants,
day. Our orders are often replaced or
bars and other places of public
cancelled due to lack of stock. In
entertainment have been forced to
general, food can meet the needs of
close, and Americans have moved
daily life. "Chinese supermarket" also
their entertainment, religious services
has a large stock, and can buy many
and weddings online. March and
delicious hometown. Hygiene supplies
April are the days when the U.S.
remain in short supply during the
presidential election is held in state
pandemic. In the run-up to the
primaries, but many states have
outbreak in the US, N95 masks were
eliminated booth voting in favor of
seriously out of stock and were
online mail-in voting.
advertised for sky-high prices on some platforms. Other sanitary products such as kitchen paper, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfection wipes, disinfection spray, etc., have a large gap, the quantity can not meet the surging demand of people, can not be purchased normally. We stocked up on rice, noodles, eggs, milk, frozen vegetables, frozen fruits, mineral water, vitamins and other food and daily necessities earlier in the day, making full preparations for the protracted battle against the epidemic.
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ENTERTAINMENT AT HOME BECOMES A THEME Although the life of staying at home is monotonous, the overseas students also "find happiness in hardships". Many students use the time at home to develop hobbies, some become "chef", some become "online beauty blogger" or "online self-study blogger", some become "Yu-gi-oh"...... The Chinese Students' association of the university held online singing contest, cooking contest and other activities to help ease the monotonous life of everyone.
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Traveling during COVID-19
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HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS I TOOK MYSELF ON MY WAY HOME
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Finally Home! After nearly 17 hours of waiting, I finally came home
I was at JFK Airport in New York, unaware of the
to stay at home with my father. And I can finally
epidemic that was unfolding in the US, and I was
calm down and figure out what's going on.
happily eating my lunch in the food Court on the second floor (also because I had skipped breakfast
From the beginning of this year, the usual jubilation
and lunch that day). When my friends who were on
is a bit less. At school, WATCHING the Coronavirus
the flight with me saw me, they all asked me to put
news on the new media, I am particularly worried
on a mask immediately. Seeing their serious
about my family back home, and I often ask them in
expressions, I also realized that I could not be so
my videos whether there are enough masks and if
capricious, so I also put on a mask and started the
they need anything from me here. In the video with
whole body protection work like them. After boarding
them, I asked if there were enough masks and if I
the plane, I dared not eat, only occasionally taking
should bring back anything for them.
off my mask and drinking water. I can't sleep because it's not safe to take off my mask by myself. After a
This year's spring break, I chose to go to a spring
long journey of fifteen hours, I finally arrived at
break camp in New Haven with a few friends and
Shanghai Pudong International Airport. I sat on the
spend the whole spring break taking classes there.
plane for nearly three hours before I was called off
Then there were reports of COVID-19 in the nearby
and went through a series of procedures to get to the
area, and the teachers in the camp banned us from
quarantine center in my district. I am very grateful
going out and ordering food by ourselves. Everyone
and moved to see so many workers wearing
was worried. People were leaving the camp, going
protective suits. China has done an excellent job in
back to their schools or getting on planes back
the prevention of the epidemic. It was really
home. Several of my friends had already left,
uncomfortable to be tested for COVID-19, and I cried
leaving me alone in the camp waiting for my
as soon as I got stuck in my nose (also physically
upcoming flight date.
uncomfortable). After the test, I sat in the center for seven hours waiting for my result, but I didn't dare to sleep for fear that my luggage would be taken away,
Diary written by Jenny Sun
32
so I stayed awake for 20 hours during the whole hot pot process. But in the end I tested negative and went home.
Industry Professionals Interviews 01
02
03
Aviation Industry Online Gaming Industry Catering Industry
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
REPORT
COVID-19 IMPACT TO
EMPLOYMENT This indicator closely correlates other economic indicators such as the unemployment rate, the percentage of the population filing for unemployment insurance, consumer spending, and small company employment.
Increases in the employment-topopulation ratio that exceeded expectations suggest that the epidemic caused more job losses in the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only claimed many lives,
In April 2020, the employment-to-
but it has also wreaked havoc on the country's economy.
population ratio in the United States fell significantly. According to historical
The economic impact of a pandemic is computed using
averages, the ratio should have been
the difference between what is expected (based on
61.3 percent, but it was just 51.5
historical trends) and what actually happens during a
percent. In April 2020, the additional
specific period, similar to the excess mortality concept.
national decline was 9.9 per 100 people. That means fewer individuals were
The employment-to-population ratio is a measure of
employed than had been projected
economic activity that shows how many people aged 16
prior to the outbreak.
and up work full- or part-time.
34
Udalova, Victoria. "Pandemic Impact on Mortality and Economy Varies Across Age Groups and Geographies." United States Census Bureau, 8 Mar. 2021, www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/initial-impact-covid-19-on-united-states-economy-more-widespreadthan-on-mortality.html. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
REPORT
COVID-19 IMPACT TO
GROSS PRODUCTION Due to anticipated government infrastructure stimuli and an increase in e-commerce, the construction machinery subsector has experienced less severe effects than it did during the 2007–09 financial crisis, whereas companies in the machine tools, plastics machinery, and steel production equipment sectors have been more negatively affected.
The COVID-19 situation has harmed the country's industrial production as well as consumer expenditure (i.e., output in the manufacturing, mining, and utility sectors). Industrial production in the United States fell dramatically in March and has only slightly recovered since then. This loss offers a number of issues for the manufacturing industry in the United States, which employs roughly 13 million people, particularly for companies that rely on workers who cannot perform their duties remotely.
The COVID-19 crisis also resulted in significant changes in household spending patterns. From February to March 2020, retail sales, which mostly measure sales of consumer items, fell 8.7%. While certain areas (such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and non-store retailers) witnessed an increase in demand as the lockdown began, others (such as clothes stores, furniture and appliance stores, food services and drinking establishments, sporting and hobby stores, and gas stations) saw a decrease. As some governments eased social distancing regulations in early May, sales in most goods industries began to rebound (U.S. Census Bureau 2020a). Overall, retail sales in the United States jumped 17.7% from April to May, the greatest monthly increase on record, recouping 63 percent of losses in March and April (U.S. Census Bureau 2020a). Retail sales increased over the summer, with August sales being 2.6 percent higher than August 2019. (U.S. Census Bureau 2020a). Figure E displays the percent change in real advance retail and food sales from the peak of a business cycle during recessions between 1980 and 2020 to help put those swings in spending into historical context.
Bauer, Lauren, et al. "Ten facts about COVID-19 and the U.S. economy." Brookings, 17 Sept. 2020, www.brookings.edu/research/ten-facts-about-covid-19-and-the-u-s-economy/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
35
REPORT THE AVIATION INDUSTRY Tourism is a big part of the aviation industry's revenue. While the travel policies restrict tourism, the impact is massive on this industry. The lifeblood of the airport industry is
flexibility in operational expenses and
aviation traffic. Aeronautical and
primarily fixed capital costs.
non-aeronautical services account for more than 95 percent of the
The COVID-19 crisis, according to the Air
revenue generated by airports.
Transport Action Group (ATAG), a global association that represents all sectors of
Passenger-related charges from
the aviation industry, will result in the loss
passengers and aircraft-related costs
of 46 million aviation-supported jobs
from aircraft operators account for
(-52.5 percent) and a reduction of $1.8
nearly all aeronautical income, which
trillion USD in aviation-supported
are a direct function of traffic.
economic activity (-51.5 percent) by September 2020. (Aviation: Benefits
As traffic falls, the capacity of
Beyond Borders, ATAG 2020).
airports to collect these fees decreases accordingly. The current
Although preliminary evidence suggests
crisis provides an unprecedented
that unit revenues may increase or
challenge for the airport industry's
decrease based on a mix of airport-
financial survival, with minimal
specific factors, the current study assumes constant airport revenues on a per-passenger basis.
A higher share of passenger-related activities, such as retail or food and beverage concessions, leads to a steeper fall in commercial revenues, while a higher reliance on real estate income and rentals acts as a cushion in times of crisis.
36
Airport Council International. "The impact of COVID-19 on the airport business and the path to recovery." Airport Council International, 25 Mar. 2021, aci.aero/2021/03/25/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-airport-business-and-thepath-to-recovery/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
"COVID-19 and the aviation industry: Impact and policy responses." OECD, BETTER POLICIES FOR BETTER LIVIES, 15 Oct. 2020, www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policyresponses/covid-19-and-the-aviation-industry-impact-and-policy-responses-26d521c1/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
Although air transport accounts
Government policies should focus
for a modest percentage of
sector-wide initiatives and
GDP, it is inextricably related to
competition to ensure the
the activity of other industries,
aviation industry's long-term
particularly airports and aircraft
viability. They must, in particular:
manufacture - jointly referred to as the "aviation industry" below.
Strike a balance between the
Many other economic activities
necessity for assistance and
are made possible by the
the potential for competitive
aviation sector.
distortion.
The severe decline in demand for
Maintain corporate dynamics
passenger air transportation
while allowing for leave.
(and freight, to a lesser extent)
Because demand may be
as a result of the COVID-19
structurally different and
epidemic and containment
possibly lower than before the
efforts is jeopardizing the
crisis, governments should
survival of many enterprises in
encourage restructuring and
the air transport sector and the
avoid supporting non-viable
rest of the aviation industry,
businesses while assisting
putting many jobs at risk.
displaced workers.
While the aviation industry has
Encourage investments in the
long been a focus of government
green transition to improve
policy, the COVID-19 issue has
the aviation industry's long-
resulted in a fresh round of loans,
term resilience.
loan guarantees, wage subsidies, and equity infusions, raising
Concerns about sustainability
questions about competition and
should be addressed across
the efficient use of public funds.
the whole aviation value chain, including aircraft manufacturers and airports..
Worldwide revenue with passengers in air traffic from 2005 to 2022(in billion U.S. dollars)
Now that vaccines have begun, there is some relief in some regions of the world, but the road to recovery for air travel will take several years. People are longing to travel again for vacations as travel becomes greener and more efficient. Airlines will be able to thrive in this altered industry if they take action now.
37
Now you can only fly one line and then you can only fly one line every week. So by comparison, if there were 35 flights every day in every city, now there's only one.
Ticket Price Is there any change in the price of the ticket? Air ticket prices have definitely gone up. But the specific price should also depend on the specific situation, for example, in the early stage, when the demand is greater than the supply, it can sell very high, but now, after all, the flight personnel can fly so much. In China, those overseas students can not study, working people can not work, so they will try to come back, or some even work also also lost, can only come back.
If there are a lot of people, for example, our
Geri Zhuang (CSO of Philippine Airlines)
foreign airlines are not allowed to fly, and only Chinese airlines are allowed to fly, then the demand cannot be met, so the price will definitely be very expensive. And it has a load factor
Philippine Airlines is definitely affected by the
requirement for this time of day, in case of an
outbreak. All airlines have influence. First of all,
epidemic. It's called distancing. With fewer seats,
our flights have been grounded because of
the price must go up. A lot of outside air ticket
travel restrictions in various countries. Including
prices are actually made by external personnel, our
not being allowed to enter, foreigners are not
own air tickets are sold behind closed doors, not
allowed to enter. A rule like that certainly
through external channels, so internal personnel
reduces the number of people who can travel.
have this pricing power. But outsiders are
We would certainly have fewer flights, and with
speculating on the price, and the price will be
fewer flights, the planes would have to be
speculating on it.
parked. But the cost of the plane is still to be paid as usual, the rental of the plane, the
But now, foreign airlines have started to resume
parking of the plane, it is to pay for all aspects
flights, although there are not many, but also a
of the cost. If it doesn't fly, it has no revenue,
volume of one flight every week. But if you're in the
and if it doesn't have revenue, it's losing money.
United States, there's a lot of demand. Specifically, let's look at the region. In terms of Southeast Asia,
Now most airlines are recovering, but they are
it seems to me that there are more of us in the
not as big as before. For example, we used to
Philippines and Indonesia than in other Southeast
run every day, now we run every week. But this
Asia because there is little demand for return trips.
of course also has the regulation with the
Because there are actually quite a number of
national policy. And China's regulations
Chinese workers in the Philippines, many of them
stipulate that each foreign airline can only fly
had to stay there before. Moreover, the flights in
one line, and then one flight per week. For
the Philippines have not been resumed until about
example, we used to have Beijing, Shanghai
July recently, and there is a lot of backlog in front,
and Guangzhou, which are all allowed to fly.
so the demand must be very large.
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There must be some good and some bad about it. In fact, ten or twenty years ago, air tickets were also hard to get. At that time you still need to get a letter of recommendation to get this ticket. But as more people take flights, prices will surely come down. But with so few flights now available, the price has gradually returned to where it was before. This is for most areas that have a return trip. For example, for flights in Taiwan, although there are political factors, it takes 14 days to fly in and 14 days to go back. Not many people will be willing to come, so their passenger load factor will be relatively poor.
After all our flights were grounded, due to national policies or regulations or the epidemic, we changed our original passenger flights to cargo flights. Demand for the goods came up quickly, because China had been exporting a lot of masks, protective suits, and testing equipment, all shipped from China to other parts of the world. We have also shipped by air not only to the Philippines, but also to London and recently to Australia. For freight, there is no limit, because there is no risk of human infection. So we made a lot
Our headquarters also held several
of cargo planes. Although the aircraft has a captain, the risk of
meetings to ask everyone to apply
infection is greatly reduced by having a much smaller crew,
for unpaid leave, which can reduce
perhaps one. Basically, all the airlines have changed to freight,
our company's expenditure. For
because China does export a lot of these products.
example, a company may ask its employees to take 10 unpaid days
In fact, the airline was also very dangerous, not very easy to
off, even though they are not paid
operate. Because but it's true that no one expected this epidemic
for those 10 days, but they are not
to spread to such a large extent that everywhere was grounded. If
required to work.
it's just one part of China where flights are stopped, it's probably only 10 percent, so it's ok. But now it's everywhere, us, Europe, even
I've heard of layoffs at other
domestic flights (because of lockdown policy). That means airlines
companies, but we haven't had any
have no revenue at all except for cargo planes.
layoffs other than this unpaid leave. In general, the situation is similar
So for as long as we haven't converted passenger planes to
across the industry, the bigger the
freighters, we're losing money. So we have to adjust immediately
company, the harder it is to support,
later. But the gap is hard to fill at a later stage. Because the cargo
depending on how long the
plane will only contribute a fraction of its previous revenue.
company's money will last. In contrast, Air China will do slightly better than foreign airlines because they are state-owned and therefore have state support.
39
Revenue Growth Statistics Online gambling revenues climbed by 18%, according to a research. While income was Rs 6,500 crores last year, it has risen to Rs 7,700 crores this year. By 2023, the revenue is likely to increase even further.
Online Gaming Industry Witnesses Major Growth, Revenues Soar By 18%
Better Gaming Experience Gamers previously utilized smartphones to play online games, according to reports. For a better experience, they are increasingly going to PCs, laptops, and big-screen TVs. Great visuals, larger screens, improved sound quality, and simple controls are all possible with these gadgets.
People were obliged to stay inside during the second wave of the
Demand For Computers Increases
coronavirus epidemic. As a result, the
HP, a well-known computer
popularity of online gaming has grown.
manufacturer, polled 1,500 adults aged
Online gaming has grown in popularity in
15 to 40 in 25 cities. Many people were
comparison to last year. In the year 2019,
embracing gaming not only during the
300 million individuals played online
lockdown, but also in the long run,
games. This number has risen by 20% in
according to this survey.
the last year, bringing the total to 360 million.
40
ABP News Bureau. "Covid-19 Impact: Online Gaming Industry Witnesses Major Growth, Revenues Soar By 18%." abp LIVE, 16 June 2021, news.abplive.com/technology/gadgets/covid-19-impact-online-gaming-industry-witnesses-major-growth-revenues-soar-by-18-1463842. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
REPORT
ONLINE GAMING FUTURE MODEL Consumer spending accounts for
This business model has coincided
nearly all gaming revenue, although
with advancements in gaming
the business model has changed
technology, bandwidth, and mobile
dramatically in recent years.
internet, all of which have increased
Consumers today buy fewer games
the accessibility of high-quality
but spend more time with them than
games across devices and platforms.
in prior decades, altering the business
Mobile gaming currently accounts for
model from single-unit to recurring
over half of the industry's revenue (48
revenue produced from a base of
percent).
active users. Esports, which refers to organized, As a result, the sector is
multiplayer video game competitions,
concentrating its efforts on enhancing
is a distinct subset of gaming. In
user engagement. Aside from making
2020, this industry is expected to
video games as engaging as possible,
expand to little over $1 billion. Esports
the introduction of in-game revenue
business models are quite similar to
potential has been a tactic for doing
professional sports – albeit
so. Expansion packs, new features,
tournaments are significantly more
tools, and characters, as well as "loot
fragmented – with advertising and
boxes," which are essentially a lottery
television providing the majority of
of virtual stuff, are examples of
money. Despite its small size in
additional downloadable content
contrast to the broader gaming
(DLC).
market, esports is important since it
"COVID-19 has boosted engagement with video games, but has complicated hardware and software development"
The COVID-19 Pandemic Will Accelerate the Evolution of the Video Games Industry
appears to be linked to gaming's continued growth.
Hall, Stefan. "How COVID-19 is taking gaming and esports to the next level." World Economic Forum, 15 May 2020, www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/covid-19-taking-gaming-and-esports-next-level/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
41
SHUAI HAN
SHANGHAI ONLINE GAME ASSOCIATION SECRETARY GENERAL The impact of the pandemic on online game companies is likely to be overwhelmingly positive. It's actually pretty good for their performance. Because people are going to play games at home. Of course, we all traditionally think so, but later, according to our statistics, there is a very obvious feature: we are good in the short term, but in the long run, there are some problems. A good definition in the short term is that during the worst period of the epidemic, everyone is on vacation at home, so basically the entertainment games are limited to online activities based on health online games. So online activities are nothing more than online videos, TV dramas and movies, but online games can be played many times. Although minors have time limits, adults play many times. For
Reduced online time when returning to work But after March, when domestic businesses resumed production, there was less time for people to play games. The second reason is that everyone did not work at home in the early stages, so there was also a lot of lag. Therefore, when the company resumed work, the employees wanted to keep up with the progress, so they would work overtime and do a lot of things, and the time for playing games would be reduced. In addition, some industries will be heavily affected by the epidemic, so the income of some people working in these industries will be correspondingly reduced because the company may not be able to give enough money, so they will reduce their spending on entertainment, such as game charging, or video membership renewal.
example, I see many people playing King of Glory for several hours every day.
So after March, we could see a crackdown in the online game industry.
This is a significant feature that we saw before March. Either the number of people playing your game online, or the number of people paying for it, is going up. So far, I have not heard of any online game company that is not making money because of the epidemic.
But in general, because in fact that the trend of decline is just to remove a shutdown of an abnormal growth, so the online game industry as a whole is relatively optimistic. So in the online game industry, whether it is already listed companies or small and medium-sized enterprises, this year's business is better.
42
Take Youzu Network for example, they
Secondly, there are fewer people in our
released their company's half annual
industry organization, so we are not
report for the first half of the year
affected too much. For example, we
yesterday. We can see their performance
don't have a situation where companies
growth is very obvious, this interest rate is
in other industries need to lay off
particularly high. Of course, I believe that
employees because they don't have
not only the game network, but also
enough money.
some other online game companies must be in the same situation, from their
The games industry, by contrast, is not a
annual reports. This is a general picture
traditional business, and a large part of
of the game industry.
it is done online. The whole epidemic is to let people reduce outdoor activities,
In response to the epidemic, our industry
relatively speaking, the online game
organization has also made some slight
industry is benefiting from the epidemic.
adjustments, such as the working hours.
This is to see the characteristics of each
There are usually some game industry
industry. The nature of our industry has
offline activities that have been adjusted
allowed us not only to survive, but to
to the online, to do some business
grow significantly.
adjustments. here are usually some game industry offline activities that have been adjusted to the online, to do some
Interviewed by Jenny Sun
business adjustments.
The gaming industry is one of the few industries to benefit from the pandemic, with a huge growth rate compared to other industries.
43
THE CATERING INDUSTRY According to a report released by
According to Data from Tianyan, there are more
Evergrande Research Institute, the restaurant
than 10 million catering enterprises in China, of
retail industry may lose 500 billion yuan in the
which 95% are individual businesses. In the
seven days of the Spring Festival. Because
nearly 430,000 non-individual catering
the Spring Festival is the most frequent time
enterprises, 80 listed companies. Most of these
for parties, in order to avoid infection, people
are limited liability companies, and sole
choose not to go out to dinner. As a result,
proprietorships account for about 20%. Among
the number of people going to restaurants
them, about half of the catering enterprises
for dinner has been greatly reduced, and
were established in 1 to 5 years, and these
many people have canceled their New Year's
enterprises were relatively affected. The most
Eve dinner reservations.
direct impact on the catering industry is the stock of chilled foods in warehouses, including
Many catering companies, including Haidilao,
milk, fruits and vegetables. Most of these
Jiumaojiu and Xibei Oat Noodle Village, have
products have a short shelf life and are likely to
suspended operations in their stores
have deteriorated during the period of
nationwide. The decision also hit the shares
suspension.
of restaurant companies in Hong Kong. Haidilao shares had a volatile opening after
Of course, the market is not all bad news.
the holiday, with 99 cents down since late
Affected by this incident, many real estate
January, a trend that continued after the
companies have reduced the rent of their malls,
holiday. For the catering industry, 30% to 50%
involving more than 5 billion yuan. In fact, this is
of the cost of the enterprise is labor and rent.
to alleviate the difficulties faced by the catering
Of course, these two are also hard
industry during the Spring Festival. Many
investments, and most enterprises are facing
developers of commercial shopping centers have
financial pressure from these two aspects.
launched rental reduction programs to face the situation of the catering industry together with merchants.
44
"How much impact will the epidemic have on the catering industry in 2020?" Sohu, 7 Feb. 2020, www.sohu.com/a/376239672_575682. Accessed 31 Oct.2021.
AUGUST 19
INTERVIEW WITH THE OWNER OF CHAOZHOU BRINE RESTAURANT B Y
J U N F E N G
C H E N
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the number of restaurant customers has decreased, and the overall profit of our restaurant has decreased, which puts us in an economic dilemma. Because we have a lot of debt: rent, staff costs, utilities and fixed expenses.
The number of customers eating in Through innovation and adjustment of
the restaurant has decreased, so we
products and services and other ways,
can only add more strategies to
research and development of dishes,
attract customers in the takeaway.
ingredients, cooking efforts to improve
Our restaurant has added many new
the quality of dishes, in order to better
varieties to dishes and opened the
respond to market changes. We've been
options of customized dishes
a restaurant for more than 10 years, and I
according to customers' needs, using
believe that other restaurants in the food
flash delivery app to reach home.
and beverage industry will survive by tweaking their menu or service to attract more customers.
45
a l y e a rt t S
Control the virus
46
Editor's Note
For those who've encountered hostility from places they call home, the world is all with us and please be yourself! There are many reasons why this magazine was created. Maybe it was because I felt homesick and anxious when I saw that my friend could not get the air ticket back to China. Maybe it was because I saw the seals on the first floor of the shopping mall when I came back to Shanghai. Maybe it was because I saw the gap year and transfer schools that many friends chose. This epidemic DEFINITELY is a disaster for all people, many things are never experienced, all people are adapting to, learning. For example, EVERY time I go out, I forget my mask, and I have to go back to get it again, because now many places are not allowed to enter without a mask. Because many people say that overseas students are like "returning home to poison", I hope my magazine can let more people see that overseas students are also struggling during the epidemic, and they will seriously consider their future study plans because of the epidemic. I also want to let more people know that Chinese enterprises will go through different processes in this epidemic, and see how they can recover after adjusting their plans. Moreover, the shooting crimes towards Asian-Americans, especially those who are females hurt me when I saw the headlines. It makes me contemplate on my identity being both Asian and women. Does it mean dual challenges for us to live in America? All those hurt me and I want to create a space for those who think they’ve lost their ways to home during these incidents.
I also want to give special thanks to my family who always wholeheartedly support me, to
During the pandemic, people were more or less frustrated because they couldn't get out of their homes. I remember when I came out of two weeks of isolation, my mom had to take me out for a walk because she was afraid
adults in the community and students who are willing to contribute. I could not have made this a reality without all of
I'd get bored at home. I have not seen many of my friends for a long time
you. From the experience of
because of the epidemic, but many of them came to Shanghai during the
making this magazine, I feel
summer vacation, so I can see them. But it is still not as convenient as in
confident and empowered by
school, as soon as you leave the dormitory, you can see it downstairs (or if you are a neighbor, you can see it outside the door). I may not be aware of it on campus, but WHEN I really stayed in China for more than half a year, I still missed my friends in the dormitory and campus life.
discussing, interviewing, writing, and revising and I've got to go into the lives of people who I would never have the chance to integrate without this magazine. I hope you can also find a form
In the whole year of 2020, overseas students and major enterprises have experienced many twists and turns, difficulties, and also encountered a lot of help and touching. I wish you peace, health and success wherever you
of support for yourself during the pandemic and enjoy this very first magazine I've ever made!
are!
JENNY SUN Editor-in-Chief
47
Unity
is the cure.
48
A song encouraging everyone to lend a hand — in any way you can
This song is Lin Junjie and Stefanie Sun jointly sing an anti-epidemic
A Rap Song About
song, together
Self-quarantining
with you, cheer
A Song about being
for the country.
productive while at home
Some music that will empower you during the pandemic
Sampling Kendrick Lamar, Tribbett sends a comforting message to the world.
This song is sung by Nicholas This song is the song god
Tse, Wang Junkai and Xiao
Jacky Cheung sang to the
Jingteng, lyrics: You never
A song reflecting the
want to be a hero, but worth
times, and the creator
hope they must return safely,
the world to sing. It is the
spills his feelings
at the end of the song, he
highest praise for the
about the current
frontline medical staff.
state of the world.
frontline medical workers, I
also to save the medical
49
workers fighting the epidemic the highest respect.
In the midst of the pandemic, even if we are not part of a team that specializes in developing a vaccine, there are things we can do to help society get better and get through the pandemic together. I've listed some things we can do.
50
1 You might be able to do a crowdfunding campaign to help people who have financial difficulties because of the pandemic 2 Volunteer to assist health care workers (and protect themselves) 3 Friends in the United States can hand out masks to share without requiring people to buy them from vendors that raise their prices 4 Try to get outside and do some healthy exercise every day to keep your body and mind healthy 5 When you see people misled by fake news, correct their ideas in time
51
TO All the people who supported me in completing the magazine and provided me with answers to interviews
Interviewees Miki Yang Dori Dong Stella Wang Ivy Tangchakkrachai Haodi Shi Asa Chen Grace Wang Tengyue Feng Miao Hwang Shawn Tian Geri Zhuang Hao Wu JunFeng Chen
Official Accounts @ FindingSchool @ About MikiYang
Pictures (uncredited) Pexels Pixabay
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