HEFEI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's post-90s, a generation, considered spoiled and selfish by many people, are shattering the stereotype with concrete actions to battle the novel coronavirus in hospitals, residential communities and every corner of the country.
"As health workers, nobody is escaping," said Lu Yongzhen, a 27-year-old nurse at Guoyang People's Hospital, east China's Anhui Province. "We are vulnerable as well, especially when dealing with unreasonable patients," she added.
Lu has been working at the hospital's quarantine area since the epidemic outbreak. In her spare time, she developed a habit of keeping a diary to release pressure from work.
"We received a five-year-old boy at the quarantine this morning. I fed him breakfast while waiting for the test result. I had to hold back my tears when he told me he missed his mom," she wrote in her diary.
Although she did not have any experience of taking care of kids, she did her best to comfort and encourage the boy. "It hurts me to see such a cute boy suffer from the pain. I just hope all kids can stay away from the virus," Lu said.
Apart from hospitals, the country's young people born between 1990 and 1999 are rising up to the challenge of combatting viruses wherever needed.
Communities have become the first line of defense during the epidemic prevention and control. Ma Xuan, a 20-year-old college student, volunteered to work in a residential community in Hefei, capital of Anhui.
He puts on a mask, picks up a thermometer to take people's body temperatures, delivers supplies and collects packages for local residents.
"My parents did not agree with my decision at the very beginning. The virus is highly contagious and they worried about my safety," Ma said. "But I insisted. I'm studying at a police college and will be a police officer when I graduate. It's time for me to stand out."
Wu Lanqing, 26, made the same choice as Ma. Wu voluntarily returned to his post in Leibei Village, Anhui Province, on the first day of the Lunar Chinese New Year.
As the epidemic sweeps across the country, villages are one of the weakest links in the chain of prevention and control. Medical facilities in rural areas are often not as advanced as those in cities, and as migrant workers return home during the Spring Festival, the risk of infection is high.
"Put on a facial mask, wash hands regularly, and reduce outings as much as possible." This message is broadcast many times a day as Wu carries a loudspeaker and patrols the village.
He has also checked all 500-plus households in the village going door to door to popularize the knowledge of the disease and raise people's awareness.
"In 2003, I fought hard on the front line during the SARS outbreak. Now it's your turn to protect the village," Wu's father said to him.
"Most people who were born in the 1990s are not 'spoiled babies,' and we want to change people's stereotype about us through our actions," Wu said.
Wang Yunfei, an associate professor of sociology at Anhui University, said the post-90s were born and raised in an affluent and fast-growing China. Their wealthy parents can provide them decent lives and many were portrayed as spoiled children and labeled "lazy" and "irresponsible."
"The battle against the virus involves everyone in China. It is a test for the post-90s who have shown their responsibility and sense of crisis," Wang said.
