The launch of an English translation of the book Confidence Comes from Effectiveness: A Foreigner's Wuhan Diary by Lebanese author Adham Sayed, was held in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Wednesday. In diary form, it recounts Sayed's observations as the country was fighting the coronavirus and the city was locked down. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The launch of an English translation of a book about the pandemic – Confidence Comes from Effectiveness: A Foreigner's Wuhan Diary – by a Lebanese student was held in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Wednesday.
The book, first published in Arabic in July and in Chinese in November, tells how Adham Sayed, a PhD student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, worked side by side with Chinese people during the city's lockdown last year.
Sayed thought the reason China could overcome the epidemic quickly was that it always put the safety and health of its people first.
"Three words – self-confidence, dedication and selflessness – should be engraved at the entrance of Wuhan for all visitors to see," he said.
Sayed's foreign perspective, global vision and Western way of thinking make a cohesive narrative. He weaves in the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and reveals China as a responsible global player.
Zhang Xue of the Hubei Foreign Affairs Office described the book as a record of what the author saw, heard and thought during the dire moments of the crisis. It also shows the world how people in Hubei have made great sacrifices for China to overcome the pandemic and chronicles their contributions.
Lyu Hui, deputy editor-in-chief of The Contemporary World Press, said the original intent in publishing the book was to help people remember the history of the pandemic, to salute the residents of Wuhan and to carry forward the spirit that led to their success.
The English version of the book will play a positive role in telling China's story to the world, Lyu said.
Sun Siyan in Beijing contributed to this story.
