Happy Friday!
I’m Tony Lin, a video journalist at Quartz covering China’s international influences, including—don’t panic—coronavirus.
Last weekend, a twitter thread I wrote went viral. Based on my observation of what happened in China, I talked about how residents of other countries should mentally prepare for a potential outbreak. It’s not just about the disease, but all the social impacts: collective trauma, hospital overcapacity, prescription drug shortage, moral quandaries, voter turnout, and so much more. But also: the ways we can support one another, maintain our sense of humor, and optimize our frozen dumplings.
For journalists covering China, the thread summarized much of what we’ve been reporting on—and living—in 2020.
I first heard of the mysterious, SARS-like pneumonia when I visited family in China last December. When I returned at the end of the year, I began to follow the disease’s development on Chinese social media. It unraveled fast: from rumors to suspected cases, from social media pleas for help to dozens of confirmed deaths, from what seemed to be a community outbreak to a nationwide quarantine impacting 1.4 billion people, all in a matter of weeks.
With family and friends affected in China, I spent January reporting from New York in a bubble of trauma: I witnessed people who cried for help because they couldn’t access test kits, watched sons and daughters my own age document their parents’ sudden collapse, and made a video about the Chinese government’s cover-ups and draconian measures to contain the outbreak after missing an early window.
And then, when I got a minute to briefly detach from the news cycle, I found myself in a world that was completely chill about the impending threat of an American outbreak. It was like Groundhog Day, but terrifying.
“Is it that bad?” Friends kept asking, at parties and online.
I would take a deep breath, and relay what I had seen, aware I might come off like a tinfoil hat-wearing, fear-mongering doomsday “prepper.” And I prepared a go-to response to the comment that “coronavirus is just another flu.”
“We don’t have to panic, but we should get ready,” I would say.
That has become my motto, after weeks of preparing myself to report, and more importantly, to live with a potential COVID-19 outbreak here in the US. Here are some lessons I’ve picked up so far.
It’s time to pay attention. Since January, the coronavirus outbreak has spread to more than 100 countries and killed thousands of people, with numbers far surpassing the SARS pandemic. Young people are more likely to recover than the elderly, but they could pass the virus to more vulnerable people—which is especially damaging to the uninsured population, service industry workers, and undocumented immigrants.
Social distancing, or limiting non-essential gatherings, is one way to slow that spread. If you’re not already working from home and you are able to, you may want to start gathering the essentials. The Quartz video team divided our equipment and made plans in advance, and now that our office is closed, we’re glad we did.
But it’s okay to put down your phone. Facing the first global epidemic in the era of social media and live-streaming can be emotionally exhausting. While it may be tempting to stay constantly updated about those who are suffering—especially if you’re already staying home—be aware you’re observing a disaster akin to a battlefield. And that can be all-consuming. (Quartz’s “Need to Know: Coronavirus” newsletter can update you with essentials a just few times per week.)
I lost weeks of sleep on Twitter and China’s Twitter equivalent Weibo, drowning in anger and anxiety before I pulled myself out to do something that makes me happy.
Find something to make you happy at home. I chose singing. I am a published lyricist, but never was a singer. Then, last month I made a conscious choice to try something I’ve always wanted to do: I set up a recording booth in my closet and started recording cover songs. (As someone who came out of the closet 10 years ago it does feel strange to go back—but now is not the time to hit the karaoke club.) It helped, a lot. (Editor’s note: He is really good!)
A mandate to self-quarantine or to work from home doesn’t mean you have to live in apocalypse mode. TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin are full of videos of users amusing themselves: fishing from a home aquarium, playing pool with chopsticks and cherry tomatoes on the dining table, and taking viewers on apartment tours. You can only Netflix for so long.
Cooking for a sense of comfort and control. I am no great chef, but over the past few weeks, I’ve become a frozen dumpling expert. I tried almost all the dumplings in my Chinatown supermarket, and mastered a unique dipping sauce recipe I plan to pass down as an heirloom. (Hint: soy sauce, cilantro, and some Taiwanese chili oil. This one would cost around five bucks in a Chinatown supermarket, if one is handy.) After weeks of experiments, the classic pork-and-chive variety is still my all-time favorite.
Don’t let fear get the best of you. Unfortunately, the outbreak has brought up one of the ugliest sides of our society. Although there’s no evidence the virus is affecting Chinese populations abroad more than any other group, Chinese and other Asian immigrants are now the targets of coronavirus-related racism all over the world.
What’s more, Chinatowns across America have reportedly lost over 50% of traffic, thanks to irrational fears and a racist trope that can be traced back to the century-old “diseased Chinese people” stereotype. That, to me, meant eating out in Chinese restaurants was no longer just a pleasure, but a moral obligation. (Seriously! Let’s support them once we’re gathering again.)
Actually, all the talk about Wuhan—a city once best-known for its breakfast and savory snacks—made me crave its food. Last month, I called up my friend and Eater food critic Robert Sietsema, and we went to Heat Noodle, a famous Wuhan restaurant in Flushing, Queens. Together, we had steamed shao mei (a Wuhan steamed dumpling stuffed with pork, sticky rice and mushroom), egg wine (a dessert of egg cooked in warm rice wine), crispy deep-fried lotus roots stuffed with tender minced pork, and the famous hot dry noodles—extra spicy.
That was one of the best moments in my long February.
If you haven’t watched HBO’s sci-fi comedy Avenue 5, now is the time to start. It’s from Veep-creator Armando Iannucci, and stars Hugh Laurie as the captain of an outer-space cruise ship (Yes, a cruise ship!) stranded millions of miles from earth. The passengers and crew, which include alums of The Office, Veep, and Silicon Valley, have to make tough decisions as a pleasure cruise goes awry and the situation rapidly deteriorates. Feel free to put yourself in their shoes—but don’t think too hard.