On April 25, Dr. Zhang Qiang, a vascular surgery specialist living in Shanghai, rode 40 kilometers on his bike to deliver delayed employee salaries. Afterwards, he posted a selfie video on his WeChat channel (Dr. Zhang Qiang), sharing his thoughts on the Shanghai lockdown.
“I never thought a city like Shanghai would run out of supplies. No matter how many goods are outside, they just can’t reach your home. Supplies were resold by unscrupulous people; things originally meant for residents ended up being sold back to them at high prices.”
“If this pandemic can be called a victory, the greatest victory is that it has exposed all the things usually hidden in society. Both the ugly and the beautiful have been revealed. This is a nationwide education.
We must seek out the truly beautiful things in life and never allow those ugly things to take over and become the mainstream of society.”
Description under Dr. Zhang’s WeChat video:
Title: "Payday"
Duration: 8 minutes 1 second
Genre: Documentary
Produced by: Dr. Zhang Qiang’s vlog
Location: Shanghai
Filmed with: iPhone
Background:
Went to the office to distribute last month’s salaries, which were overdue by 15 days. It was originally promised that the lockdown would lift on the 5th, so I carelessly didn’t bring my USB security key from the office. Unexpectedly, the lockdown extended indefinitely everywhere, making it impossible for everyone to get their salaries on time. Yesterday I finally got permission to go out, but couldn’t drive. With a travel pass and nucleic acid test certificate, I encountered three police checkpoints on the way. Upon hearing I was delivering salaries to employees, the officers were very friendly. Fortunately, the forecasted thunderstorm didn’t appear. Although I had to bike another 20+ kilometers back, it felt much easier. The lunch I brought along was also very tasty. By the way, Shanghai is a city that values rules and trust — I hope this won’t be ruined.