2020 was an exceptional year. Under the Central Committee of the CPC’s leadership with Comrade XI Jinping as the core, we undertook an unprecedented combat against the pandemic and went through a historical test. Tongji University scientific and technical workers, including medical workers from Tongji hospitals, faculty members and students, stood fast at their posts and worked tirelessly on the front line. Tongji people carried out a vital mission in fighting the Covid-19 virus and passed a huge test. Every one of us has proved extraordinary qualities in this most unusual year. To look back at 2020, we have assembled 20 touching pictures that relive the most emotional and inspiring anti-pandemic moments experienced by Tongji people, demonstrating their inner strength and inspiration to journey forward into 2021.
On January 24, 2020, 11 Tongji people rushed to Wuhan on the New Year’s Eve.
The Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve, on January 24, 2020, was the time for millions of families to get together and light up the festive lights. That night the first batch of Shanghai’s medical teams bid farewell to their families and boarded a plane heading for Wuhan. Among them were 11 medical staff from hospitals affiliated to Tongji University: Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, Shanghai East Hospital, and Shanghai Yangpu District Central Hospital. They brought with them huge responsibilities, expectations and love!
A Tongji medical doctor hugging his wife and daughter goodbye
On January 29, I blessed Wuhan with the handwritten “China”.
During the last Spring Festival, a sudden outbreak of the pandemic concerned us all. In such a grim situation, many Tongji people left messages and wrote Chinese characters with the word “China” on boards to send their blessings to Wuhan and its people.
Tongji people bless Wuhan
On January 31, 2020, the fight against the pandemic was at a critical moment and Tongji’s post-95 young people became “heroes in harm’s way” combating COVID-19 on the front line!
ZHAO Qingya, born in 1996, was a medical worker and a member of the CPC at Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University. She joined the second batch of Shanghai medical teams to support Wuhan. She had her hair cut when she left Shanghai for Wuhan.
Qingya started her work at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Wuhan on January 31, 2020 as a team member. She wrote in her diary: ‘looking forward to embracing a warm spring and seeing flowers blooming. Fight together’. As a medical worker, no one should be absent at this critical time!
Members of the second batch of Shanghai medical teams supporting Wuhan
On February 3, 2020, “Tongji Power” was demonstrated in the newly constructed Leishenshan Hospital and Huoshenshan Hospital!
Confronting the pandemic, Tongji’s ‘angels in white’ were fighting on the front line together with building designers who were racing against time as the virus spread and changed the impossible into possible. Together, as brothers and sisters, we Tongji people have proved by our actions that there are no tasks that cannot be completed, no standards that cannot be met, and no difficulties that cannot be overcome. If we do our utmost, we will win the battle against COVID-19!
CSADI’s Deputy Party Secretary YANG Jianhua (Central South Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd)
On February 4, Tongji’s research team contributed to the fight against the pandemic! CCTV gave a thumbs-up!
Tongji University’s team studied more than 43,000 cells from lungs through high-throughput single-cell sequencing technologies, day in, day out, to obtain off-the-shelf stem cells with resistance to infection. ZUO Wei’s research team from Tongji’s School of Medicine, with an average age of only 28, was racing against the clock to contribute to the fight.
Shanghai East Hospital affiliated to Tongji University Prof. ZUO Wei
On February 4, 2020, the National Emergency Medical Rescue Team went forth to battle! On this day, another 55 Tongji people arrived at the Wuhan “battlefield”.
The National Emergency Medical Rescue Team and China International Emergency Medical Rescue Team (Shanghai), a 55-member team of Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University, were commissioned at a critical moment to set out and help Wuhan.
The Tongji team covered 55 members, including 13 Party members with a temporary Party Branch set up. The team had the capacity to operate for 14 days without back up. They had a complete hospital treatment system to independently undertake emergency treatment tasks to deal with public health emergencies. Vehicles provided for the expedition included: communication and command vehicle, monitoring and transfer vehicle, transfer vehicle for patients, inspection vehicle, kitchen truck, power supply vehicle, material storage vehicle, material transfer vehicle, and container truck.
Facing the pandemic, the early frontline team carried out extensive pandemic prevention and control, disease screening and diagnosis, psychological care, and simulation exercises. It was also reported that the team submitted a written request for resources to fight the pandemic from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission on January 26, 2020. After receiving the departure order on January 24, the team members immediately prepared medical supplies and equipment.
Shanghai medical team aiding Hubei heads for Wuhan
On February 7, 2020, Tongji University extended their regards to some 1,000 teachers and students in Hubei through the online video call.
The University’s leaders heartily expressed: “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Tongji teachers and students living in Hubei have become the group of people that the university has cared about the most” “No matter how difficult the situation is, Tongji University will always be your strongest backer!” “I believe that spring will come after the severe winter!”
At about 10:00 a.m. on February 7, 2020, a special online meeting was held. Tongji’s Party Secretary FANG Shouen, President CHEN Jie, and other university leaders expressed their genuine care for Tongji teachers and students and their families in Hubei through an online video call from Yifu Building in the Siping Campus. They paid tribute to all the volunteers fighting on the front line, especially the over 100 medical workers of the affiliated hospital assisting Hubei. Executive Vice President WU Jiang presided over the meeting. Vice presidents LV Peiming and LEI Xinghui, and directors of relevant departments also attended the meeting. Ten teachers and students spoke about their circumstances. Nearly 1,000 teachers and students in Hubei interacted online by video conferencing at the same time. The meeting lasted for almost one hour.
Online video meeting
On February 15, 2020, “Hi-tech” went live! Tongji’s AI “amazing machine” joined the “battle” of pandemic prevention and control!
On February 15, 2020, the first set of Tongji NCP-AIS developed by the COVID-19 prevention and control research team of Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, led by Tongji University, began a trial operation at the main gate of Siping Campus. The system can quickly identify the risk of individual infection in a crowd. This achievement marked Tongji University’s efforts on its first batch research projects on COVID-19 prevention and control and emergency response.
The first NCP-AIS developed by Tongji University’s team
On February 21, 2020, Tongji people at home and abroad voluntarily rushed to Wuhan’s rescue during the “pandemic”.
As of February 21, 2020, a total of 6,426 people participated in the first- and second-phase charity work of the “Tongji University Special Fund for the Fight against COVID-19” jointly initiated by the Tongji Alumni Association and the Shanghai Tongji University Education Development Foundation. Their donation totaled 2.2299 million yuan, of which 1.8654 million yuan has been spent to purchase medical supplies such as ventilators, masks, goggles, protective clothing, gloves, shoe covers, and disinfectants to support the pandemic prevention and control work of Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of HUST (Huazhong University of Science and Technology) and Tongji University.
Tongji people at home and abroad voluntarily rushed to Wuhan’s rescue during the “pandemic”
On February 25, 2020, Tongji held a special theme class of the Communist Youth League in Wuhan Fangcang Hospital, with 200,000 online viewers!
At 3:00 p.m. on February 25, 2020, Tongji University’s special class of the Communist Youth League opened in Wuhan Fangcang Hospital (a mobile cabin hospital converted from the China (Wuhan) Cultural Expo Center) under the theme Gathering the Positive Energy of Youth and Uniting Together to Fight the Pandemic. The speakers were members of the National Emergency Medical Rescue Team and the China International Emergency Medical Rescue Team (Shanghai) of Shang East hospital, Tongji University, these having fought on the front line to treat patients at the makeshift hospital. About 200,000 young students from Shanghai colleges and universities such as Tongji University listened to the online class through the video website: bilibili. They interacted with the medical team members on the front line and sent heartfelt respects and best wishes.
The theme class of Communist Youth League opens on bilibili
On February 29, 2020, the call to fight against the pandemic was sounded, and Tongji youth bravely joined it!
“To prevent and control the pandemic is a people’s war, overall war and resistance war to protect the lives and health of the masses”. As soon as the horn was blown, Tongji youth resolutely implemented the spirit of General Secretary XI Jinping’s keynote speech and policies made by the Party Central Committee and the University, adhering to the sentiment of the nation and family: With one heart, with one dream, and with the same future. For the people, for the whole world, and for the same planet. As heroes in harm’s way, they: a) joined in the front-line prevention and control to protect lives; b) kept up the leading spirit of youth; c) did a fine job in publicizing the struggle and boosting people’s confidence; d) comforted students at home; and e) carried out logistical support to ensure medical supplies, coordinate voluntary service and make contributions without expecting any favor in return.
Tongji youth fight the “pandemic” shoulder to shoulder
On March 7, 2020, these Tongji people became full members of the Party in Wuhan!
“I volunteer to join the Communist Party of China...”
This solemn oath was sworn in a loud voice in the fight against the COVID-19. LI Xin and XU Shikun from the Shanghai East Hospital, XU Hong from Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, and XUE Lifei from Shanghai Putuo District Central Hospital (organized by Tongji University) have become full members of the Party in Wuhan!
These Tongji people were able to become full members of the Party precisely because they were not afraid of difficulties on the front line and took the initiative to play a perfect exemplary role. After the swearing-in ceremony, they immediately went back to their work and honored the Party member’s oath by actions!
Shanghai medical team members aiding Wuhan take the initiative to fight against COVID-19
On March 16, 2020, a Tongji teacher changed the pandemic battlefield into a classroom and gave students classes online in Wuhan!
The “heroes in harm’s way” not only bore the responsibility of healing and saving lives, but also fulfilled the mission of teaching and educating people. They are not only front-line ‘angels in white’, but also respected teachers. The pandemic stunted the development of the whole country. Although classes were suspended, learning continued. Tongji’s teachers turned the battlefield into a classroom, recording videos on the front line and insisting on giving lessons to students!
On the morning of March 16, 2020, LIU Ruilin, a teacher assisting in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, briefed his medical work to the School of Medicine’s 2017 undergraduate students. At the beginning of the class, he first introduced his pre-service training when he arrived in Wuhan, with slides and other items expressing his visits to the wards and operational treatment rounds. Then, he shared the inspiring moments when patients he treated were discharged from the hospital.
Teacher LIU Ruilin gives lessons to undergraduate students
On March 17, 2020, Tongji heroes began to return to Shanghai in groups, and the Central Guiding Team dispatched to Hubei Province and other severely-hit regions bade farewell to them!
On the afternoon of March 17, 2020, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, SUN Chunlan, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the Central Guiding Team, came to Wuhan Dongxihu Fangcang Hospital to wish members of the National Emergency Medical Rescue Team ‘bon voyage’ and praise their tremendous efforts whilst risking their lives.
LEI Han, head of the National Emergency Medical Rescue Team of the Shanghai East Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, reported the situation on the ground to the Central Guiding Team. After 44 days of hard work, the rescue team completed the battle against the pandemic and successfully reached zero cases of infection, death, or relapse.
The Central Guiding Team sees off the National Emergency Medical Rescue Team (Shanghai East Hospital)
On April 16, 2020, Shanghai’s top three newspapers joined forces to pay tribute to Tongji’s heroes in aiding Hubei.
Today, Wen Wei Po published a full-page list of the medical team’s heroes from the affiliated hospitals of Tongji University aiding Hubei.
‘Congratulations on the triumphant return of the ‘angels in white’! Salute the heroes! Thank them!’
Full-page list of the medical team’s heroes from the affiliated hospitals of Tongji University aiding Hubei
On April 26, 2020, Tongji made full preparation for the students’ return! Tongji was standing by to protect everyone!
Following the central and local authority’s requirements on the students’ return in the spring semester of 2020, combined with the actual pandemic prevention and control work of the University, Tongji made proper arrangements for the students’ return to campus on April 27, 2020.
A unique passageway for students to return to campus had been laid out on one side of Siping Campus’s entrance. University leaders such as FANG Shouen and CHEN Jie displayed their health codes and took temperature tests according to procedures for students entering the University. As volunteers, a group of students who had stayed on campus during the winter vacation carried suitcases to rehearse students’ return to campus. The staff first checked their health code and tested their temperature, following which they checked their identity and then activated their All-in-One campus card on the spot. Staff members disinfected students’ carry-on luggage after they swiped their cards to enter the campus. For students with abnormal body temperature, an observation room was set up beside the student passageway. The medical staff of the University would conduct the second temperature test and inquire about their health status. According to the University’s pandemic prevention and control plan, different treatment procedures would be performed, such as observation and assignment to a fever clinic.
Students head back to campus under the proper arrangements
On May 5, CCTV News praised MA Mingje, Tongji’s post-90s generation doctoral student, for his leading initiative in fighting the pandemic.
As a doctoral student at the School of Transportation Engineering, Tongji University, MA Mingjie took the lead in his village to participate in pandemic prevention and control. Under his initiative, returning college students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shaanxi Normal University joined hands to fight the pandemic. This 10-member anti-pandemic team, composed of doctoral students, master’s degree students, and undergraduates, undertook action in numerous places, such as detecting checkpoints, farming fields and in low-income families. They used their youthful strength and enthusiasm to help in pandemic prevention and control, resumption of work and production, and poverty alleviation. MA’s anti-pandemic deeds received praise from CCTV News and were reported in the China News Service, People’s Daily Online, and Weiyan Education.
In the report, MA Mingjie observed: “This pandemic is a big test for us young college students. At this time, we must take the initiative to shoulder the mission and grow up together with our nation!”
Tongji University’s doctoral student MA Mingjie
On May 8, 2020, Tongji welcomed the first batch of students of the graduating class heading back to campus under the “hardcore” technology guarantee!
The first batch of graduating students who met the conditions for returning to campus and had been in Shanghai for 14 consecutive days returned to Tongji after nearly four months.
Siping Campus opened a special-purpose passageway for returning students. A prominent ‘Welcome Home’ sign was erected. Under the counselor’s guidance, each student first presented the University intelligent system’s return code for verification and took a body temperature test after which the staff activated the students’ campus access card. Students swiped their campus card to enter, washed their hands, and had staff disinfect their carry-on luggage. Tongji University Hospital set up a special checking area to retest students with abnormal body temperatures and conducted treatment according to special emergency medical procedures for returnee students.
Returning students are tested at entry
On June 20, Tongji offered services such as quilt airing and mail and postage delivery!
It was a busy time, with both students returning to campus and graduating year students leaving the university. The Tongji University’s Department of Safety and Security and Logistics Group joined hands to carry luggage for students in patrol cars. The security guards were busy from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, making 20 to 30 trips back and forth. Some students had as much as 40 pieces of luggage.
The dormitory staff also received many commissions, and they began to complete those commissions after confirming with the school and college, Department of Student Affairs, and the community center responsible for taking student requests. Among the commissions were requests for help in delivering packages and watering plants. Resident assistants and dormitory administrators took precautionary measures, such as putting on masks and gloves, before entering the dormitories. They made video calls with the students to identify various personal items. After confirming these, they packed them carefully for subsequent delivery.
Dormitory staff offer delivery service
“Fire Eye” laboratory appears in Nature with a novel version.
Among the best scientific pictures of the month recently released by the top international medical journal Nature, eight of them was that of the Huo-Yan (Fire Eye Laboratory; hereinafter referred to as the “Laboratory”) constructed with an air-inflated structure which has so far handled over 1.2 million pictures of Beijing’s fight against the pandemic.
The Laboratory, a mobile, air-inflated P2 lab (Second Level of Biosafety) designed and developed jointly by Tongji’s College of Design and Innovation (CDI), BGI, and Shanghai Etopia Planning and Construction Consulting (SEPCC) Co., Ltd., made its debut at the China National Gene Bank on April 3 and was technically upgraded to Version 2.0 ten days later. On May 1, 2020, the Laboratory was used to fight the pandemic in Harbin with Version 3.0, capable of processing 10,000 samples without manual intervention. Since 11th May 2020, the Laboratory has been used in the fight against the pandemic overseas and has been built and used in Libreville, Gabon; Medina, Saudi Arabia; Lomé, Togo; and Nur Sultan and Almaty, Kazakhstan. Beijing’s first Fire Eye nucleic acid detecting laboratory went into trial operation at a sports venue in Daxing District, Beijing. Nine laboratories were officially put into operation on June 23, 2020 with a daily handling capacity of 30,000 samples. On June 25, 2020, seven laboratories were urgently built to provide a daily capacity of over 100,000 samples.
The “Fire Eye” laboratory
Written by YU Juan, WAN Yanwen, LI Yi
China Education WeChat Release
Source: http://fx.xwapp.moe.gov.cn/article/202012/5fe83e5ad9a93f1370599f4b.html?id=58251
