The Young Reporter Vol. 52 Issue 5 by The Young Reporter

Volume 52

HE YOUNG R E PORTER Issue 05 - Internet

Cover Story

Confusing high-tech online classes during campus closure

Editor’s Letter COVID-19 has become a pandemic that ravages the whole world. Face-to-face gatherings and big events are cancelled, business shut down, and economies affected. However, life must go on. Office workers start to work from home, and students are attending classes online, even some prime ministers have to give orders in front of the screen. Societies are striving to ride out the difficulties by moving work to the Internet. Back in the old days, some people wished to work without having to step out of the bedroom door, but they might not have expected a picture like today. Sitting in front of the computer can be distressing, and the work doesn’t usually get easier because of this. Some students are grumbling about how they miss the good old days on campus.

The Young Reporter Vol. 52 No. 5

There is a comment on social media that says “we can finally save the world by just sitting at home.” Indeed, staying in quarantine has remained the best protection.

Printer Department of Journalism School of Communication Hong Kong Baptist University

Sincerely, Eurus Yiu Editor-in-chief

Editor-in-Chief Eurus Yiu

Han Xu Hong Wong Jay Ganglani Liony Xue Lisa Liu Mereen Santirad Moon Lam Nicole Ko Ronald Fan Samuel Mo Suey So Sunny Sun Tomiris Urstembayeva Yanni Chow Yetta Lam

Deputy Editors Carol Mang Carol Yuan Kylan Goh Mark Chen Art Designers Bella Huang Carine Chow Clara Ip Liony Xue Moon Lam Sunny Sun Editors & Reporters Alec Lastimosa Bella Huang Cassie Zhang Carine Chow Cherry Lee Clara Ip Cynthia Lin

Advisers Jenny Lam Robin Ewing

In This Issue

Confusingly high-tech online classes during campus closure

Calls for improvement in online learning

Fitness video games: alternative indoor sport during quarantine

VPN: Chinese peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window to the outside world

Fight or flight: How do students abroad cope with the global pandemic

How overseas Chinese students react to the coronavirus outbreak?

Society

Confusing high-tech online classes during campus closure Reported by Lisa Liu Edited by Cassie Zhang

A sign on the door outside Lan Liang’s office

Time has frozen in the hallways of the Department of Computer Science at Hong Kong Baptist University. All the lights on, but the empty rooms are almost too eerie to step into. A piece of paper that reads “Online Teaching In Progress” is stuck to a door. Behind it, Lan Liang is sitting in front of his computer, facing a screen filled with the names of his students framed in a grid.

Dr. Lan holds an online class on ZOOM at his office.

Due to the overwhelming spread of COVID-19, universities in Hong Kong and mainland China have suspended on-campus teaching activities since January. Resumption of classes before the Summer now seems unlikely. Teaching activities have moved online. But the high-tech teaching tools have caused some confusion. Some teachers are uncertain whether students understand the content while others aren’t sure how to use the online teaching software.

semester. Teachers share their computer screens in real time with students.

Dr. Lan, a lecturer from the Department of Computer Science at HKBU is among them. He started teaching at the university two years ago but has experienced the suspension of on-campus classes twice so far. Dr. Lan started teaching using the video conferencing application, ZOOM, this

Dr. Lan is not alone. Jean Lai is another lecturer at the Department of Computer Science. “I cannot see the students. I don’t know if they are listening, or can understand what I am talking about.”

Dr. Lan found it difficult to teach that way. “At the beginning, I actually felt very weird just talking to a computer for two hours,” said Dr. Lan, “I did not know whether the students really understood the concept or not. I just kept talking and talking.” He asked his students to turn off their cameras because he was afraid that the network could not bear the traffic if everyone was on video.

Some teachers tried to ask students to turn on the cameras.

“Very few of them responded,” said Alison Leung, a senior lecturer who teaches journalism at HKBU. “They might say we woke up early and wouldn’t want to be seen.” Niu Gang, 46, who teaches clinic at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University in mainland China is similarly concerned.

It is impossible to teach with all the cameras on when there are 80 or even 90 students in a class Mr. Niu Gang

Clinic teacher of the First Affliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University

But this is not the only problem Mr. Niu faces. “Not enough passion,” he said. “Also, I am always afraid that the internet breaks down and affects teaching.” He uses Rain Classroom and Tencent Meeting to teach. “Rain Classroom is more suitable for teaching,” he said, “But the problem is that there are too many people using the platform at the same time. The system sometimes cannot bear such a great load of work. ” Rain Classroom, a free Online Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platform presented by Tsinghua University, is commonly used by universities in the mainland for online teaching. It allows teachers to make use of WeChat, PowerPoint and online classrooms to conduct teaching activities. Teachers can send class-preview materials with audio narrations, class notes and exercises to students’ mobile phones in advance. In-class quiz, after-class teaching data analysis, bullet screen (real-time comment stream), and class

attendance are all available in the Rain Classroom. Tutorials on how to use the platform as well as paid online courses taught by teachers from top universities in China can also be found. Ellen Yang, a university English teacher from Xi’an, Shaanxi province in mainland China uses other platforms in addition to Rain Classroom. She said teachers always need to be prepared to teach on multiple platforms.

If one platform doesn't work during the class,we would immediately change to another one.

Ms. Ellen Yang University English teacher from Xi’an, Shaanxi province.

Dr. Lan cannot see students’ faces but only names in the ZOOM meeting.

Tencent Meeting and Ding Talk are her alternatives. But Ms. Yang doesn’t like the lack of verbal communication during online classes. She explained that teachers and students interact mostly using text messages, be it live on-screen comments or via chat groups. This is not the first time Ms. Yang is using the Rain Classroom in her 22 years of teaching career. “We have used online teaching tools in our classes before. For instance, we prepared online materials for students to foster their self-learning capacity,” said Ms. Yang. “But it is my first time to teach online on such a great scale.” Mr. Niu had also used the Rain Classroom when he first started teaching. “It can record and be played back.” But for Dr. Lan, Dr. Lai and Ms. Leung, using online teaching tools is a new experience.

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“I used ZOOM or Skype for meetings before but not for teaching,” said Dr. Lai. Different from Rain Classroom, ZOOM follows a membership-based strategy. To have a video group meeting over 40 minutes, users need to pay to upgrade their plans. HKBU not only pays for the teachers but also provides technical support for staff. Meanwhile, there are regular sharings about online teaching among teachers, said Ms. Leung. At Ms. Yang’s university, IT teams offer training and online pre-testing for the teachers before classes start at least one and a half weeks before the start of the semester. In addition, teachers experienced in online teaching are invited to give tutorials. “At the beginning, I was totally confused,” Ms. Yang said. However, after using the online platforms for some time, she discovered their advantages. “We can answer students’ questions immediately by texting in chat groups. It makes good use of limited time and space in teaching activities.” But will online teaching replace face-to-face teaching in the future? All five teachers said “no”. Mr. Niu said he had thought about it but he changed his mind. “There are many things that need to be improved,” he

explained. “Apart from that, teaching the clinic is about practical work. Thus it cannot be substituted with online simulations.” Dr. Lan also felt that online teaching is not as good as face-to-face classes, especially for the lab classes for computer science. “Most of the students have their own questions for their codes. I need to take a look at their codes, and then I can figure out what their problems are.”

It might not become the major format, but it could be a way to support the main teaching activities.

Ms. Ellen Yang University English teacher from Xi’an, Shaanxi province.

Society

Calls for improvement in online learning Reported by Suey So Edited by Clara Ip

Ignoring the piles of unfinished assignments on his desk, Michael Shum, a form two secondary school student, sits in front of his computer to play video games all day. Since the government announced the suspension of classes, spending hours in front of the computer has become his new normal Amid the coronavirus outbreak, schools in many countries, including Italy, India and the United Kingdom, have closed down in order to slow down the pandemic transmission. Ahead of the other countries, two months before it turned into a pandemic, schools in Hong Kong already stopped face-toface classes and shut down the schools indefinitely. Most teachers have since transferred to remote teaching. Students can turn their homes into classrooms with one click on their computers and get on to their schools’ e-platform. Zoom is a popular web-based video conferencing tool for many universities worldwide, whereas eClass is often used in secondary schools to provide digital learning resources. Since the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong in 2003, the government here has been using the slogan “Suspending classes

without suspending learning”. The aim is to encourage schools to adopt eLearning in classrooms and offer digital content for students’ self-learning outside the classroom. Apart from enabling eLearning during emergencies, the government also wants to build up an interactive way for students to participate in class actively.

E-Learning is a leading trend today and beyond, therefore the Hong Kong government has been promoting eLearning for almost 10 years, Dr Li Ka-kui

Chairman of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation

But Michael Shum has his reservations on eLearning. He thinks the only benefit of eLearning is that he can stay at home all day, without rushing to school. “I simply don’t like eLearning

Michael Shum does his assignments by printing them out from the eClass platform. He plans to hand them in to his teachers when classes resume.

especially when we are forced to suspend all our classes,” Michael says with frown. Ms. Shen Di-hua has two

E-Learning is a complicated procedure since only virtual communication is possible. All that has convinced me not to use online learning in my future study.” Michael Shum

Form Two Secondary School Student

children who are studying in secondary school and kindergarten. She believes online

technology can transform the future of Hong Kong’s education system because it is effective in facilitating students’ learning progress. “Teachers can provide more resources through e-Learning and it is easier for my children to access. Applying technology to education is very common in America and European countries, so Hong Kong should learn from them. This could boost our education quality,” says Ms. Shen while helping her son with his homework. However, Ms. Shen also hopes the government can take a leading role and urge schools to apply the same standard for all students’ e-Learning experience. She complains that the Education Bureau has not released any compulsory guidelines for eLearning. Schools have to adopt different practices in eLearning. Some don’t

This voluntary culture online campaign is divided into four big sections, including ‘suspending classes without suspending learning’, ‘fight epidemic through reading’, ‘online life’ and ‘health protection tips’.

have the initiative to adopt eLearning. “Take my elder son’s school as an example, eLearning seems to be just a name without actual usage. He has been using an online platform, eClass, that only allows him to receive and submit assignments. They also have a WhatsApp group to contact teachers for their school and assignments latest arrangements,” she said. “Read Together Hong Kong” is

So here’s the question, does the use of electronic devices add meaning to eLearning? Ms. Shen Di-hua Mother of two children

an online charity campaign that started in February. It provides free interactive learning and teaching platforms to Hong Kong citizens on a voluntary basis. Over 60 associations have participated in this campaign, ranging from culture and publishing, films and sports, education and art. They have adopted the government slogan “suspending classes without suspending learning” through providing leisure books and educational materials to the general public. They promote the slogan “Let’s pull together, and fight the epidemic through reading”. They are willing to support the public and Hong Kong’s education system by providing supplementary free e-resources during this period of hardship. A spokesman for one of the organizers, Hong Kong Publishing Federation, said that they hope to collaborate with

businesses that offer free e-books, students’ exercises, tutoring, professional-trainings, health protection tips and other information to their users. “During the unfavorable epidemic in Hong Kong, more people chose to stay at home and are willing to read more than usual. We think it’s high time to build up an e-platform that bolsters online learning and reading culture,” says Dr. Li. Jacky Tang, a ‘Read Together Hong Kong’ user, says the campaign’s resources cater to readers from all age groups. He, as an office worker, finds it attractive since he started to spend a lot of time at home. But, he also finds the system difficult to navigate. “People like me who are not familiar with audiobooks or other e-resources may find the e-platform difficult to operate. Sometimes

I click on the books and there are only the first few chapters of the book. This reduces my incentive to support eLearning,” says Mr. Tang. Tang Wing-naai, a university student, says she finds the campaign useful since it provides supplementary learning resources to students.

This campaign has provided us with many tutorial exercises. It is easier to catch up with our learning progress. It definitely attains the purpose of selflearning at home, Ms. Tang Wing-naai University Student

However, there is still room for improvement as most of the e-resource they provide are exam-oriented.” Dr. Li admits that electronic platforms still need more information, resources, and services in order to meet the public’s demand since the campaign is still in the first stage. But he remains optimistic and thinks this will be an interesting innovation for Hong Kong’s education system and students learning mode in the long run. “Even though e-Learning still has room for improvement, classroom teaching and online learning are complementary, creating a truly integrated learning environment for our children,” says Dr. Li.

Business

Fitness video games: alternative indoor sport during quarantine SPORTS

Reported by Nicole Ko Edited by Moon Lam

Notice boards at a digital game store in Lok Fu, saying that Ring Fit Adventure is sold out because it is too popular.

down of factories in China affected the supply.

Staying fit while under home quarantine because of the pandemic is a challenge for some, and not doing exercise may only worsen the cabin fever. So turning to Ring Fit Adventure maybe one solution. The fitness video game from Nintendo, a Japanese games and electronic company, topped the sale charts in Japan, America and Europe, with over 170 million copies sold in late February, after being released for five months. Ring Fit Adventure was launched at a price of 7980 yen, which is approximately 577 Hong Kong dollars. However, as demand soared since the coronavirus outbreak, the price jumped more than threefolds to

around 2100 Hong Kong dollars at its highest point in February. The price of the game has risen rapidly since mid January in mainland China as well. According to Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst at a gaming market research company, Chinese sellers are buying overseas game sets at the list price and reselling them for around 2200 Hong Kong dollars. He thinks that the huge price difference is due to global shortage. In Weibo, there are 10.2 million discussions under the topic of Ring Fit Adventures. Short videos and thoughts regarding the game are shared. Nintendo even had to apologize for the shortage, as shut

On Nintendo’s official website, the game experience is described as “Explore fantasy adventure worlds to defeat monsters using real-life exercises”. In the adventure mode in Ring Fit, users are required to mirror the poses shown to defeat monsters. The poses are sorted into four main categories, each meant to train a specific body part. For example, under the “leg” category, users need to do squats, mountain climber and side steps. Claudia Cheng, 24, bought the game after the start of the epidemic. “As I am working from home now, there are fewer opportunities to walk and exercise. Therefore, I will like to keep moving to prevent getting chubby.”

A graph showing the change in price of Ring Fit Adventure before and during the epidemic outbreak. (Capture from price. com.hk)

She finds this game useful in motivating her to exercise everyday.

student and a user of Ring Fit Adventure, shares similar views.

“There are achievements and titles I can obtain in the game. For example, if I login for 10 days consecutively, I will be awarded with the title “Adventure Lifer”. The achievements motivate me to login and exercise regularly, as I want to collect them all.”

“I like how the game automatically calculates the calories I have burned. But I think it is better to do sports outdoors, as I do not feel like running when stomping and jumping on the same floor repeatedly.”

However, she thinks that working out in the game is still different from training in a gym. “The biggest difference is the lack of mirrors at home. In a gym room, there is usually a big mirror for users to observe their poses, so they can correct accordingly. When exercising at home, it is difficult for me to check if my pose is correct or not.” Ernest Ko, a 17-year-old

Although the average selling

price of the game slightly decreased to $1500 in recent weeks, it remains higher than the list price. In a digital game store in Lok Fu, notice boards tell people that the game is sold out. Gareth Ko, 55, a pediatrician, thinks that the video game does help with training.

“The game is good as a starting point for those who are reluctant to do sports. It may be attractive to those who seldom do sports, and can influence them to develop their interest in sports.” However, he also points out a few drawbacks of the game. “There is a lack of interaction with people as it is a single-player game. Of course, you cannot breathe fresh air

“ “ There is a lack of interaction with people as it is a single-player game. Of course, you cannot breathe fresh air and be under the sun by staying indoors. Gareth Ko Pediatrician

Users need to bend their bodies in different directions to escape from monsters in the game.

Users are required to perform different training tasks in the adventure mode, including pulling the ring and performing different yoga poses.

The game automatically shows how many calories are burnt.

and be under the sun by staying indoors.” He warns players to be careful when exercising with Ring Fit Adventure. “Proper outfit is important. Since training becomes easy and convenient to do at home with this game, people may ignore the importance of wearing suitable clothings.” He thinks that if people wear their normal outfit, which are usually pajamas and slippers, when exercising at home, they may get hurt. “Proper sport shoes with

cushions should be worn whenever exercising. You put too much stress on your knees if you have an intense workout without wearing specific outfits for doing sports.” He believes that the game can help users keep fit. However, a balanced diet and sufficient sleep are important as well. Persistence in working out regularly is also a key to success.

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Culture

VPN: Chinese people’s window to the outside world Reported by Carol Yuan Edited by Han Xu

Turning on the laptop, connecting to Shadowsocks, and then accessing Google. These are the necessary steps for some students in mainland China to complete their homework every day. During the outbreak of the coronavirus, many mainland students enrolled in colleges in Hong Kong have to stay in the mainland. In order to take online classes and complete course assignments, they need to scale the so-called Great Firewall, a virtual online barrier that keeps people in China out of specific foreign websites. Using Virtual Private Networks such as Shadowsocks, is a way to gain access to the uncensored Internet. Since the early 2000s, China has gradually blocked a large number of overseas websites including Google and Facebook. In recent years, the government has turned up the heat in its control of the network so that VPNs have become more and more vital for people to cross the Great Firewall. Here is a guide to what you may want to know about VPN in China.

What is VPN? VPN routes your device’s internet connection through a private server rather than your Internet Service Provider. That way, it masks the identity of your device because all of your data will appear to come from a private server and enables you to operate data that can only be operated through the private network.

Take The Young Reporter for example, as a student publication the portal of TYR can only be logged in and managed when the user’s device is connected to the university’s network. In order to operate the portal remotely, editors need to use a VPN so that their devices can connect to the private network of the school.

By using VPN, software running on a computer or a mobile phone can gain some rights that only a private network has, such as security and some specific function such as internal resources of an organization.

VPN was not initially invented to cross network blockades, but in China, many people use VPN as a way to climb over the Great Firewall to get to the international Internet beyond.

When Chinese netizens want to visit websites which are censored by the government, the government’s monitor can find out and block them. However, if you use a VPN as a transit station, the monitor can only find you visiting a VPN server. Since the VPN transmission is encrypted, the monitor cannot crack what information is being transmitted between you and the VPN server, so the connection won’t be cut off.

China’s timeline in blocking websites

VPN is like a transit station or a proxy. For instance, when a Chinese network user wants to use Google, instead of using the computer to connect to Google directly, he will first connect to a VPN server and send instructions to it. Then the VPN server will connect to Google and pass back the content to the user.

How do people get access to VPN? Having a VPN account which provides the server’s connection address, username, password, etc is the first step. A few years ago, there was still some free VPN software, through which connections to the overseas Internet could be made. Chen Naiqi, 48, started using VPN from around 2012. He recalled that at that time he could cross the firewall through the plug-in module carried in the browser, but the Internet speed was very slow, and it often took several minutes to open the web page.

In recent years, most VPNs have been blocked by the Chinese government, especially the free ones. In 2017, the Chinese government issued a decree announcing the ban on the provision of VPN services without authorization.

It has become dangerous to cross the wall since the providers might have to face legal consequences, thus, most of the domestic VPN services are not available.

In China, the campus network of some universities can connect to overseas websites though the speed is often not ideal. But off the campus, people need to use commercial VPNs. There are mainly three different ways to get commercial VPN: buy services from large VPN companies, buy from private sellers through WeChat or build one yourself.

What are the differences among various VPN services? Jimmy, 28, is an IT worker in Guangzhou who didn’t want to disclose his family name for fear that he would be targeted by the authority. He started to use VPNs 4 years ago in order to search for technical articles on Google. After trying the service from large companies, he built a VPN by himself.

He explained that there is a difference between VPN sold by big companies and the other two sources. What big service providers offer are real VPN protocols, which are made for data encryption and anti-tracking, but not specially designed for crossing the Great Firewall.

Mr. Chen and his daughter also tried VPNs from big providers, but eventually abandoned them because of the high cost. “It costs us over 300 yuan ($329) a year, but I can get the same service from private sellers for only 150 yuan a year,” Mr. Chen said.

“The protocols used by those big providers are very traditional and are basically fully understood by the Great Firewall. Since the technical characteristics of those VPNs are so obvious, they can be easily blocked,” Jimmy IT worker in Guangzhou

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“If a tunnel is blocked, you only need to change the server’s IP address like changing the number of a guest room,”

Jimmy IT worker in Guangzhou

According to Jimmy, it is not difficult for practitioners in technology related industries to set up VPNs themselves, but it will be difficult for laymen to do so. The cost ranges from 50-2,000 yuan a month, depending on the configuration, location, performance, tunnel, etc. The self-built VPN obtains an independent IP, which is stronger than the paid ones in terms of security and stability. Besides, the amount of users on self-built VPNs can also be controlled so that there is a theoretical advantage in speed.

Most privately-sold VPNs are built by the sellers themselves so that they could have the same advantages as self-built VPNs.

Society

Fight or flight: How do students abroad cope with the global pandemic Reported byYanni Chow Edited by Moon Lam

People do not wear masks in the Netherlands.

As schools around the world shut to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, university foreign exchange students struggle over the decision to return home or stay put. In Europe, non-essential incoming travel was banned on March 17, stirring worries among the student community as air ticket prices shot up. Rachel Khun, a German exchange student in the Netherlands, decided to go home, despite Germany having one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in Europe. “I left the country when faceto-face classes at the university

were suspended. Staying at home reassures me,” said the 21-year-old, adding that her home in the German countryside has fresh air and open space and she can follow the news in her mother language. “I will not return to the Netherlands unless classes or exams are resumed on campus,” said Ms. Khun, who was sharing a home with three other students there. Also studying in the Netherlands, Chiara Pierucci, 21, from Italy, decided to stay as the number of confirmed cases there are fewer than in her hometown.

My parents asked me repeatedly to go back home before all flight connections would be interrupted, but I thought that staying in the Netherlands would be safer.

Ms. Chiara Pierucci Italian student studying inthe Netherlands

Supermarkets set limit on products such as toilet paper to two items per customer.

“My parents asked me repeatedly to go back home before all flight connections would be interrupted, but I thought that staying in the Netherlands was safer,” said Ms. Pierucci, who lives alone in a studio apartment with a private toilet. Italy is the most hard hit country other than China, with case numbers reaching 64,000 and a death toll over 6,000 as of March 24. Meanwhile in the Netherlands, the number of confirmed cases is just under 4,000. In the supermarkets, toilet papers are out of stock.

Ms. Pierucci said her main concern is the spread of the virus. “The possible development of the virus is scarier than

catching the actual virus,” she said, though she also worries about the Dutch private healthcare system, which requires insurance. Alitalia, Italy’s main carrier, requires passengers to wear masks, which Ms. Pierucci says are “really hard to find these days,” adding that the two-week required home quarantine would also be difficult in her family of six. Hong Kong students studying abroad say they face a larger dilemma as travel times and time differences are much greater for Asian students. Maggie Lee Nok-yi said she

Shelves are almost empty in the supermarkets.

decided to return to Hong Kong from her semester abroad in Spain after hearing rumours about Madrid’s potential lockdown. She bought her ticket departing Spain immediately.

I could not find any at reasonable prices. It is quite scary if I walk around without masks since there are more than 3,000 cases in Madrid on the day I left,” said Ms. Lee.

“I originally wanted to wait for the arrangement of my host university, but I do not want to get trapped in Madrid where the case numbers are so high,” she said.

Chan Chit-ying, a Hong Kong Baptist University student studying in Germany decided to stay in her dormitory.

Leaving her host university in the middle of a semester, Ms. Lee faces challenges such as credit transfer and course fulfillment, but she said Hong Kong is better equipped to fight the disease. Spain is short on healthcare supplies, such as face masks and alcohol sanitizers, she said. “I only have 10 masks left since

“I can observe that the infected cases in Hong Kong recently are mostly the people coming back from Europe. I will have a higher chance to be infected while taking trains and flights,” said Ms. Chan, who is studying at Offenburg University. She decided to self-isolate in Germany. “I will keep my social distance, stock up on food and daily necessities and hope for the better,” she said.

I originally wanted to wait for the arrangement of my host university, but I do not want to get trapped in Madrid.

Ms. Maggie Lee Nok-yi Hong Kong exchange student in Spain

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Supermarkets advice people to stand at least 1.5m from each other to avoid being infected.

Society

How overseas Chinese students react to the coronavirus outbreak? Reported by Jay Ganglani & Mark Chen Edited by Bella Huang

Two weeks before starting university in February, Nathan Ng was walking to church on an overcast Sunday morning. On his way, he saw a middleaged Caucasian woman, with her young daughter, staring at him. Both then pointed and muttered foul language directed at him and two other Chinese people on the same street. He chose to ignore them and continued walking to church. Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in China, there has been an increasing number of reports of discrimination against Chinese people around the world. In one case, Jonathan Mok, a 23-year-old Singaporean of Chinese descent studying in London, suffered facial injuries in a “racially aggravated assault.”

“I was scared whenever I stepped out of my house. I wasn’t sure how people would react and behave towards me because of everything that has happened in China and the rest of the world,” says Mr. Ng. Nathan Ng, a Chinese student at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, has gone through issues of anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Australian Government’s Department of Health, the nation has over 2,300 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and eight reported deaths, as of March 25. During the same journey to church, while Mr. Ng was

crossing the road, he saw an elderly man in his early 60s coughing. He initially thought the cough was exaggerated due to his presence. However, as he looks back at the incident today, he thinks it was just a regular cough and regrets the anger he felt at the time. Following the incident, however, he nearly began to tear up. “I don’t think much about what

Nathan Ng speaks to TYR about his experience of living in Australia, as a Chinese man during the coronavirus pandemic.

happened now, but it definitely had an effect on me at the time,â&#x20AC;? said Mr. Ng. Since heading back to university in early March, things have improved for Nathan. He attributes feeling better to support from close friends and family, especially his mother, who has been a strong pillar of support for him during such a predicament. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mother has always been vocal in expressing her views,

but she was also equally supportive when I told her about these two incidents,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Ng said. Outside China, Europe is one of the most hard-hit areas during the pandemic, with over 23,000 confirmed cases so far, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Some Chinese students studying abroad have come under pressure from their

families to head back home.

Americans have been snatching up toilet paper. You’d better store enough as well,” his mother texted him on Wechat on March 1.

next four months, which would last for the rest of the semester. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands has risen to 6,412, as of March 25, according to the National Institute for Public Health and Environment in the Netherlands.

Qian Jianyuan, a Chinese student on exchange in Amsterdam, said that most people in the Netherlands have continued to live a normal life, except for those that have been “I’ll be staying diagnosed. indoors for However, a while and his anxious cut down on mother far socializing,” he away in said. mainland China has been urging him to take An image shared by Jonathan Mok on Facebook after the racially charged incident. (Photo: Jonathan Mok) Over in the care of United States himself, while of America, he holds a Wang Su is fairly calm a Chinese student at the attitude. Mr Qian disagreed with panic University of Virginia. He has buying because people who been taking the coronavirus “I think she’s almost been purchase more than necessary more seriously after the US saw brainwashed by the media. She would leave nothing for those more confirmed cases, and completely believes whatever truly in need. He noticed denied entries to those that is on Jinri Toutiao,” he said. that rice at a nearby Chinese had been to China in the past Jinri Toutiao is a Chinese news supermarket has been sold out 14 days. aggregator site that has over for days. 100 million daily active users. “At first, I felt that the Eventually, he gave in to his coronavirus would just “There are seven cases in the mum’s requests and bought spread across China, and I Netherlands. It’s spreading fast. enough toilet paper for the

“At first, I felt that the coronavirus would just spread across China, and I was focusing on the situation there, but later I knew that there would be a risk of an international outbreak.” Wang Su Chinese student at the University of Virginia

Mr Wang received surgical masks from his parents on March 17.

was focusing on the situation there, but later I knew that there would be a risk of an international outbreak,” said Wang Su. Hearing that masks had been sold out in physical stores, he and his roommate decided to purchase 100 surgical masks from eBay in late February. “We found the cheapest ones, about US$0.6 each. My parents delivered some to me as well, but they are still on their way,” he said on March 10. However, he mentioned the pressure of wearing masks outdoors.

James E. Ryan, president of the University of Virginia, notified students of the online classes arrangement.

“Barely anyone wears them. I just don’t want to stick out, and people might stay away from me,” he explained. Mr Wang cancelled his train ride to Washington during Spring break after three confirmed coronavirus cases were reported by state officials on March 5 in Maryland, the state bordering Virginia and Washington. “It was then when I noticed that things were kind of getting serious,” he says. Mr Wang noticed that some Chinese students at the University of Virginia were

writing letters to school officials in the hope of cancelling on-campus classes. The University announced a decision to switch to online classes in an email on March 11. “My feelings toward the coronavirus changed from staying outside of the game to knowing that the virus is getting closer and closer,” he said.