During the early days of 2020, after spending ten days confined to my Beijing home from January 23rd to February 1st, I desperately needed some fresh air. Despite being well aware of the risks from rising coronavirus cases and deaths, I had to see how Beijing had transformed during the epidemic. My friend Yezi offered to drive me to the city center, which normally buzzed with thousands of shoppers and office workers but had become hauntingly quiet. In our three hours there, we could count the people we encountered on our fingers.

Later, I explored my semi-quarantined neighborhood in Haidian. Only one of the four gates to our apartment complex remained open, guarded by workers checking residents’ temperatures as they passed through. Just when everything felt at a standstill, I spotted my 78-year-old grandma practicing Taiji at home with complete focus. Something about her dedication instantly lifted the heaviness I’d been feeling. Now I can only hope the epidemic will disappear just as quickly.

If I could see you again