Prelude
Before we start the exhibition, let's take a step back to early 2020 when everything began, and I will share my story, as a Wuhan citizen, with you.
the boarding pass from Wuhan to Osaka
武汉飞往大阪的登机牌
19th January 2020 Sunny
About a few weeks ago, there were reports of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, yet many were unaware of the impending catastrophe. Today is the day before Wuhan suspended all foreign tours, I started my week-long trip to Japan. At the moment, I didn't realise what I was going to face.
2020年1月19日 晴
大约几周以前，已经有报导武汉出现不明原因的肺炎病例，但人们并没有意识到这会成为一场多大的灾难。就在武汉暂停所有的境外旅行团的前一天，我开启了我为期7天的日本旅行。而此刻我还并没有意识到接下来我会面对什么样的事情。
20th January 2020 Sunny
First day in Japan.
When I arrived in Japan last night, I was only asked to have my temperature tested, and everything was fine. At the moment, all I feel is thank God my journey hadn’t been disrupted. It wasn't until this morning that I stumbled upon the trending news on Twitter about three fatalities due to the new coronavirus in China that I suddenly realised the gravity of the situation.
Despite this unsettling news, I still feel fortunate to be in Japan while Wuhan faces significant risks, and for now, I perceive it as a safe environment.
However, given the circumstances, I decided to visit local drugstores during my shopping excursion in Osaka to stock up on masks, fever medicines, and disinfectants, just in case.
2020年1月20日 晴
抵达的日本的第一天，昨天晚上到达日本时，只被要求做了体温的检测，一切正常，还在庆幸自己的幸运，自己期待了很久的旅行并没有因此被搁置。直到今天上午看到推特的日本趋势动态第一条，报道着中国的新冠病毒造成了三人死亡的消息，我突然意识到事情好像变得严重了。
但同时又还是觉得有一点幸运，在武汉最危险的时候，我在日本旅行，至少这里目前还是安全。但带着不安，我的大阪之行在购物的时候，特意去药妆店购入了一批口罩、发烧药以及消毒用品以备不时之需。
Twitter Japanese trend 3 new COVID-19 deaths in China
日本推特趋势，中国新增三名新型肺炎死亡病例
The amulet I bought from Asakusa Temple
我从浅草寺购买的御守
23rd January 2020 Rainy
I’ve been in Japan for four days now, and unfortunately, things have become increasingly difficult.
Today, I visited Tokyo and heard that the Asakusa Temple is particularly good for making wishes, so I went there to pray, hoping for a positive change. Coincidentally, it started raining here in Tokyo, and the day felt as gloomy and melancholic as the weather itself. After praying at Asakusa Temple, I bought an amulet and kept it with me all the time, hoping that I and my family would be safe and sound.
In the evening, it was officially announced that Wuhan would be under lockdown. As expected, my flight back to Wuhan scheduled in two days got cancelled, compelling me to book a new flight to Shanghai, which left me feeling quite anxious by the end of the day.
2020年1月23日 雨
到达日本已经四天了，在这四天里事情越发发展的严重了。今天来到东京了，听说东京浅草寺许愿特别灵验，于是来到了浅草寺祈祷，希望一切都尽快好起来。好巧不巧，今天东京突然下起了雨，一整天的心情都仿佛东京这天气一样沉闷与悲伤。在浅草寺祈福完后，又特意买了一个御守，把它一直带在身边，希望自己以及家人都平平安安。晚上武汉正式宣布封城了，不出意外，我两天后返回武汉的航班也取消了，不得已重新购买另一趟飞往上海的航班，就这样一整天在焦虑中结束了。
25th January 2020 Cloudy
Last day in Japan.
Early in the morning at the hotel to eat the last breakfast on the return trip, the mood was extremely complex, heard that could hardly buy masks in China, so I took advantage of my remaining time in Japan to purchase as many masks as possible.
When I arrived at the airport, the nightmare really came. The scheduled flight from Osaka to Shanghai was cancelled once again and was temporarily changed to a flight to Nanjing, but when checking in, I was refused to check in due to my passport was issued in Hubei and I was unable to check in and board the plane.
My visa was about to expire, and I had to leave Japan today. So, I kept checking my mobile phone for flights to China and kept going to different airline counters at the airport with my luggage in tow, asking if I could check-in.
Finally, at about 7 or 8 pm, I was able to buy a ticket to Wuxi on Shenzhen Airlines and finally made it back home!
2020年1月25日 阴天
在日本的最后一天。一大早在酒店吃了最后一顿早餐后就即将返程，但是心情却是极其复杂，听朋友说国内已经买不到口罩了，抓紧在日本最后的时间能尽量多买一些口罩就多买一点。
到达机场的时候，噩梦才真的来临。原定的从大阪飞往上海的航班再一次被取消，又临时改成飞往南京的航班，结果在值机的时候被告知因为我的护照的签发地是湖北，所以拒绝给我值机，我无法顺利值机并登机。而我的签证即将过期，我必须在今天离开日本。于是疯狂地在手机上查询有没有飞往中国的航班，并且在机场拖着行李不断地去不同航空公司柜台问能否给我办理值机。
最终，在大约晚上七八点的时候，终于买到深圳航空公司飞往无锡的机票，终于回国了！
26th January 2020 Rainy
Landed in Wuxi at midnight the night before. The plane was parked in the far slot, and when the door was opened, the broadcast said that passengers from Wuhan, Hubei would be asked to get off first. I was sitting in the last row, so I had to walk a long way to the door in full view of the crowd, who were all giving me strange looks.
When we got off the plane, a group of staff in protective suits were waiting for us, handing us each a form to register our details. Then they inquired about any potential symptoms, although the primary procedure involved checking our temperatures and then we were sent off to our hotel to begin our 14 days of quarantine.
The first night I arrived at the quarantine, I didn't sleep the whole night and was filled with anxiety and unease. The luggage was also detained and not with us until the next day when it was sent to the quarantine hotel.
When I ate the boxed lunch delivered to me at noon and looked at my last meal in Japan in the photo album on my mobile phone, my heart was full of bitterness, but I felt a little bit lucky.
2020年1月26日 雨
前一天晚上半夜落地无锡。飞机停在远机位，当打开舱门的时候，广播说着请来自湖北武汉的乘客先行下机。我坐在最后一排，于是我就在众人的凝视中从机尾向舱门走去，大家都向我投来异样的目光。
下了飞机之后，是一群穿着防护服的工作人员等着我们，发给我们一人一张表格，登记我们的各种个人详细信息以及询问有无各种症状迹象等等，虽然就是体温测量，接着就把我们一行人送去了酒店，开始了为期14天的隔离。
到达隔离的第一晚，一宿没有睡，满心都是焦虑与不安。行李也被扣下去消杀了也不在身边，一直到第二天，才送到隔离酒店来。中午吃着送来的盒饭，看着手机相册里在日本的最后一餐，心里满是苦涩，却又觉得有一点幸运。
The last breakfast I had in japan,feel a bit miss it when I was in quarantine
The meal when I was in isolation in Wuxi
Quarantine hotel room where I spent 14 days, really a tough time
隔离酒店的房间，我在这里度过了难熬的十四天
29th January 2020 Sunny
The fourth day of isolation.
Every day was a repetition of the same days, eating, playing games, and sleeping. Watching the news every day, things were getting worse and worse, there didn't seem to be any sign of improvement, and all I felt was full of anxiety, the small hotel room seems became my whole world at that time.
I wanted to go home so badly! :(
2020年1月29日 晴天
隔离的第四天。每天都在重复同样的日子，吃饭、打游戏、睡觉。每天看着新闻，事态越来越严重，似乎没有一点好转的迹象，满是焦虑，小小的酒店房间，成了我当时全部的世界。
好想快点回家。
9th February 2020 Cloudy to rainy
The quarantine is finally over.
It has been the longest two weeks of my life, two weeks that seemed like two years. During these two weeks, I was so anxious that I nearly broke down several nights, the death toll in the news kept rising every day, the tweets were the cries for help from ordinary people, and every day people were experiencing life and death with their loved ones, and everything seemed to be like there was hopeless.
It wasn't until the staff brought me a certificate of release from quarantine, signed it, and told me, "Congratulations, you're free."
I was happy for a while, but then I fell into anxiety. Without transport to Wuhan, how would I get home? Even with a piece of paper, most hotels would not accept Wuhanese at that time, so where to go?
So, I and others who were at the same time isolated, together to think of ways to put forward our claims, and by the evening, the local government sent a car to take us together to another hotel, which could receive us to stay, but need to pay for it.
But at least there is a place to rest for a while, as for back to Wuhan, it had to be a long-term plan.
2020年2月9日
隔离终于结束了。经历了人生中最漫长的两周，短短两周却过的好像两年那么长。在这两周里，好几个夜里都焦虑的几近崩溃，新闻里每天不断上涨的死亡人数，微博里是平凡人们的呼救，每天都有人在与亲人经历生死离别，一切似乎都像看不到希望那样。
直到工作人员拿来解除隔离的证明，签完字，跟我说：“恭喜你，自由了。”
我开心了一会，可又陷入焦虑。没有去往武汉的交通工具，又要如何回家呢？即使拿着一纸证明，大多数酒店在当时又都不会接待武汉人，要去哪里呢？
于是我们一行人同时进来隔离的，一起想办法，提出我们的诉求，等到晚上，当地政府派来了一辆车把我们一起送到了另一个酒店，可以接待我们入住，不过需要自费。
不过好歹也算是有地方可以暂时休息了，回武汉的事情，只得再从长计议。
my certification of release from quarantine
我的解除医学观察报告书
The once-busy Wuhan Station platform is now deserted.
昔日繁忙的武汉站站台如今却冷冷清清
15th February 2020 Rainy to snowy
After many twists and turns, I finally got on the train back to Wuhan. Due to the lockdown, it is no longer possible to search for tickets directly to Wuhan, but the good thing is that the geographical location of Wuhan determines its convenient transportation and is a necessary stop for many train lines.
So, I got a ticket from Wuxi to Yueyang, which would pass through Wuhan on the way, stopping briefly for a few minutes, and I could get off at that point. And so it was that I returned to Wuhan, where the familiar Wuhan station platform now bears no trace of anyone.
When I left the station, all the shops were closed, the underground had stopped, and the whole scene looked like an abandoned city in the film after the doom.
Coincidentally, it suddenly snowed on the day I came back, and the snowflakes fell on the ground piece by piece, but this time, there were no people out enjoying the snow scenery or the children building snowmen; it’s just the snowflakes dancing wildly, silently, in this silent city.
2020年2月15日 雨转雪
几经周折，我终于踏上返回武汉的火车了。由于封城的缘故，已经无法搜索到直接到武汉的车票，但好在武汉九省通衢，是许多列车线路的必经之地。所以我买到了无锡到岳阳的车票，中途会经过武汉，短暂停靠几分钟，我可以在这个时候下车。
于是就这样，我回到了武汉，熟悉的武汉站站台如今不见任何人的踪影。出站的时候，所有的商铺全都关了，地铁也停了，整个场景看起来就像电影里的末日之后的废弃城市那样。好巧不巧，回来这天突然下雪了，雪花一片一片落在地上，只是这一次，没有出来欣赏雪景的人们和堆雪人的孩子们，只有雪花无声地在这座寂静的城放肆飞舞。
The empty Wuhan Station
空荡的武汉站出站口
Epilogue
The story ends here. Although I encountered many obstacles on the way back to Wuhan, I still returned smoothly in the end. During my month away from Wuhan, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions—sadness, relief, anxiety, anger.
Perhaps the sincere prayers at Sensoji Temple worked, or perhaps I was careful enough, anyway, no matter what the process was, I finally got through it. I may never forget this experience, as if I had escaped death, like a survivor in a doomsday story.
My tale might be on pause for now, but other people's stories are still unfolding.
Please keep exploring and let us return to that time again.
尾声
故事就讲到这里，我可能是幸运的，尽管在返回武汉的途中遇到了种种阻碍，但最后也仍是顺利回来了。在离开武汉的这一个月里，有过各种各样的情绪，伤心、庆幸、焦虑、愤怒，或许是浅草寺虔诚的祈祷奏效了，又或者是自己足够小心谨慎，但好在无论过程怎样，最后都是过来了。我可能永远也不会忘记这一段经历，仿佛死里逃生一样，像是末日故事里的幸存者。
属于我的故事暂时结束了，但，还有别人的故事仍在继续。
请继续往后探索，让我们再重新回到那个时光。
Disclaimer
Photos are anonymous to ensure creators' privacy due to potential political sensitivity.
All images are authorised
Photos are anonymous to ensure creators' privacy due to potential political sensitivity.
All images are authorised