Editor's note: In the Gengzi New Year, a war without arms started nationwide. At a time when families should be reunited, a group of OUC students mobilised to help Wuhan and rescue patients there!

The white-robed angels whose deeds have moved people all over the country say: "We are called "warriors", but have chosen this profession, and it is our duty to help fight the epidemic! We shall dedicate ourselves to the interests of the country over our personal interests".

Why are so many taking part in this struggle? Let's pay tribute to them, and tell their stories.

On 26 January, 2020, 150 medical staff belonging to the Hebei Epidemic-control Medical Team left for Hubei. Among them was He Shan, an undergraduate open-education Pharmacy major who was admitted in the fall of 2018. Upon being called, she and her colleagues resolutely rushed to the front.

At the front lines of the battle against the epidemic, she uses breaks to record the work there, as well as the voices of the medical staff.

He Shan (right) and her "comrade in arms" Dong Qing

When I set off from the hotel for the hospital, I was still feeling anxious. But when I arrived at the Wuhan No. 7 Hospital, one of the hospitals designated in Wuhan for patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP), and which has received a great deal of attention for the number of confirmed patients there and the intensity of its efforts to fight the illness, my fear suddenly disappeared, and to my surprise lines from Jing Ke's A Verse to River Yi came to me.

Hsiao-hsiao soughs the wind, oh-.
Cold the waters of the Yi.
The knight who leaves you now, oh-
You nevermore shall see.

I couldn't help but think: "No, no, the knight must return!" This is the goal that inspires me.

With the help of colleagues from the infection-management division, we were armed with protective clothing and walked into a ward already under siege. All around were colleagues I knew, but made strange by their protective clothing. The air sterilizer buzzed in our ears, and the patients were lying in orderly rows, surrounded by ventilators, ECG monitors, tubes and other equipment ... I followed the instructions of the doctors to check their physical indicators one by one. After a while, my protective clothing was soaked with sweat, and my goggles fogged over.

Originally, I was worried about having difficulty taking blood in this clothing, and making patients angry. Unexpectedly, however, almost every patient said, "Thank you!" Although some dialects I could not fully understand, I could see the gratitude in their eyes.

Everyone calls us "warriors", but I would like to say that we have chosen this profession, and doing this is our duty. We will do our best!

These patients are unfortunate, and their lives are in danger. Yet they are also lucky. With the support of the CPC and the central government, as well as the care and concern of hundreds of millions of compatriots, they will certainly survive these difficult times.

After a busy day, when I return to the hotel physically and mentally exhausted, I can't help but smile, and think of the following lines from A Verse to River Yi.

I’m to enter a tiger’s den,
I’m to charge a dragon’s stronghold.
I lift up my eyes and sigh, then,
my breath becomes a rainbow. Behold!"

I believe China is bound to win, the epidemic is bound to be eradicated, and we are bound to return home!

He Shan, employed by the Respiratory Department of the Jizhong Energy Fengfeng Group Hospital, and a member of the first medical team from Hebei to travel to Hubei, has a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. To pursue greater opportunities at work, she and her colleagues applied to study Pharmacy. She was meticulous in her studies, and purchased a full set of materials to cover the two years, believing that the study of Pharmacy would open doors in her future nursing work. She always completed her assignments on time, to high standards, and communicated with the head teacher about any difficulties. On her final two exams, covering 14 subjects, her average score was 93, and she took all her courses very seriously. She is hard-working, and has been named “Outstanding Nurse of Handan City."

By Hebei Branch