Voices from behind a curtain in Wuhan

Two months ago, a Wuhan resident noticed her neighbor's open window and a curtain fluttering from it. Since Feb 15, she had been making videos of the fluttering curtain and posting it on Sina weibo along with the daily weather and other updates from the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Her posts soon became viral, with some micro-bloggers jokingly calling it "the curtain drama" and others worrying about the resident. Was the occupant safe? Was he/she in hospital with the virus?

The curtain drama had a happy ending on Monday with the houseowner returning. He said he had opened the window to let in fresh air and forgotten all about it as he fled to the suburbs to distance himself socially. It was after reading about his curtain on social media posts that he returned.

Behind the curtain drama is the warmth and love of Chinese society. None of those who commented on the drama every day knew who the house-owner was or what happened to him but they all expressed their goodwill and prayed for his safety. Such is Chinese society: Never indifferent to strangers, ever generous with love.

The woman who made the videos might not have realized it then, but her videos tell an inspirational story about Wuhan during lockdown. With "Curtain in Wuhan" as the hashtag, many Wuhan residents said the daily updates gave them confidence they could win the fight against the novel coronavirus; outsiders said the posts were like a window to Wuhan residents' optimism.

When Wuhan was locked down in January, certain Western media outlets called it a human rights violation. Such rumors can be put to rest by just looking at the daily accounts of Wuhan residents online, how they were spending their time indoors while medical workers fought the virus. It is time the Western media heard these voices. They could begin with the one from behind the curtain in Wuhan.