When Everyone Shines

by Hu Zhoumeng

Aged 24， Wu Yankun is the only male teacher at Rose No. 2 Kindergarten in Hanyang District of Wuhan， capital of central Chinas Hubei Province. Over the past year， Wu spent the bulk of his working days singing kids in his class to sleep， rehearsing short plays， and playing games with them in the sun. The 35 children in his class refer to him as “Teacher Papa.”

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic， the entire city of Wuhan was dragged into a strange rhythm. The teacher was completely cut off from his class. As the war against the epidemic raged，restless Wu decided he had to do something to help dispel the haze haunting the city.

Hope Hotline

When Wu saw a notice for recruiting volunteers to help epidemic prevention and control issued by the Wuhan Municipal Communist Youth League Committee， he signed up immediately without telling his parents. As he expected， his parents were worried when they found out， but his mind was made up. “Even if we cannot do much， we have to do something，” he said. “If everyone feels powerless， nothing will get better.”

On January 31， 2020， Wu and his fellow volunteers started work in a temporary tent in Wuhan International Expo Center. Alongwith unloading materials for epidemic prevention and control， another important responsibility they assumed was answering the Wuhan Red Cross Society donation line.

After the outbreak of the epidemic， phone calls from warm-hearted people around the world flooded in. The volunteers started answering phones around the clock in three shifts， each with three people on duty.

“People offer to donate so many things including masks， goggles， protective clothing， disinfectants and food，” Wu revealed. “But I have to kindly refuse many offers because what we really need is medical supplies. Some hospitals have called to ask if there is any direct donation for them. Sometimes， ambulances are sent to our warehouse to pick up materials. Anyway， the most common questions I got are about material transportation， including how to transport donated materials into Wuhan and how to handle customs procedures.”

Once， after working non-stop from 4 p.m. to midnight， Wu started feeling pain in his throat， but the calls still warmed his heart.

A particularly moving call was from a man in his 70s from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. After seeing the news on TV， he was moved by the hardworking medical workers in Wuhan and insisted on donating his savings of 800 yuan （US$114） which had taken three years to save up. “The old man couldnt hear well or speak clearly on the phone，” Wu sighed. “His son and the village chief later called back to help explain.”

He also had trouble understanding a call from Hunan Province because the donor had a strong local accent. “We had been talking for several minutes before I realized he wanted to donate several pigs because he wanted to ensure the medical workers on the front lines were eating well，” Wu grinned.

After the outbreak of the epidemic， many in Wuhan faced grave psychological pressure， but Wu feels volunteering creates positive energy. “I realized that many people care and support us，” he beamed. “When you do something good and I do something good， the world shines.”

Good Night， Wuhan

“How are things in Wuhan， Teacher Papa？ Stay strong and safe！” As the outbreak attracted more public attention， such greetings have been flooding into“Good Night Story Hub，” a popular WeChat account launched by Wu Yankun. Two years after he created the account， it has more than 30，000 subscribers. Every night at eight oclock， Wu posts audio of himself reading a carefully selected good night story to help parents put their children to sleep.

After Wuhan was locked down in an unprecedented effort to curb the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus， worries spread quietly in many families. Wu could feel the anxiety in messages posted to his account. For example， some complained that old people in their families refused to wear masks and others revealed their grandparents insisted on boiling vinegar at home to repel the virus. He couldnt help but worry about the psychological state of the children.

“Its a challenge for children to stay cooped up in the house without going outside to play for a long time，” he explained. “Even if parents stay silent， their anxiety can still be passed to their kids.”

To provide some help， Wu devised a method of explaining the coronavirus situation and promoting self-protection through good night stories such as A Story on Novel Coronavirus， Dont Believe the Rumors， A Letter from Medical Workers on Epidemic Prevention and Control and Why Do I Have to Wear a Mask？

In these stories set to soothing music， Wu employs a soft tone to compare the immune system of the human body to a general commanding soldiers to fight the virus. He exhorts children to wash their hands thoroughly to the tune of Twinkle， Twinkle， Little Star.

Even during his busy volunteer work， Wu continues scouting for picture books and recording， typesetting， publishing， and updating works on his WeChat account every day. He is thrilled that his goodnight stories have actually made a difference. “Some parents have posted that after listening to my stories， the old people at home finally put on masks，” he said.

Alongside stories， Wu also posts parent-child games. “Playing games with parents is one way children can have fun at home，” he beamed.

Not long ago， he received a video from a parent featuring a four-yearold boy pumping his little fist to cheer on Wuhan. He pinned the video to the top of the group and typed： “Your recent encouraging messages have all been received. Dont worry！ So many scientists， doctors and nurses are fighting against the virus on the front lines. Wuhan will be fine soon！ When spring finally arrives， come visit

Teacher Papa again. Lets go out to eat reganmian （hot dry noodles） and enjoy cherry blossoms together！”