{"id":363,"date":"2020-02-15T17:42:58","date_gmt":"2020-02-16T00:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/?p=363"},"modified":"2025-05-08T15:56:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T21:56:02","slug":"loveforgroundzero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/2020\/02\/15\/loveforgroundzero\/","title":{"rendered":"Love for ground zero: Thoughts from an American who\u2019s lived in Wuhan, China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-knight-explorer-home wp-block-embed-knight-explorer-home\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"4o64OmmRl1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/knightexplorer.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/15\/love-for-ground-zero-thoughts-from-an-american-whos-lived-in-wuhan-china\/\">Love for ground zero: Thoughts from an American who\u2019s lived in Wuhan,&nbsp;China<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Love for ground zero: Thoughts from an American who\u2019s lived in Wuhan,&nbsp;China&#8221; &#8212; Knight Explorer \/ Home\" src=\"https:\/\/knightexplorer.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/15\/love-for-ground-zero-thoughts-from-an-american-whos-lived-in-wuhan-china\/embed\/#?secret=eNsY6eaKvZ#?secret=4o64OmmRl1\" data-secret=\"4o64OmmRl1\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Original Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Largely unknown to Westerners until a month ago, the city of Wuhan in Central China has gone viral. It\u2019s become a place synonymous with words like epidemic, quarantine, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jackkelly\/2020\/01\/27\/the-coronavirus-is-a-black-swan-event-that-may-have-serious-repercussions-for-the-us-economy-and-job-market\/\">black swan<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the global media has multiplied unfavorable views of the city, criticism against Wuhan has come from within China, as well. Consider, for example, the extent to which Wuhan residents have been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/02\/01\/asia\/coronavirus-wuhan-discrimination-intl-hnk\/index.html\">shunned by their own countrymates<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of the unsavory press about Wuhan and the coronavirus is necessary. You really can\u2019t tackle a global outbreak without focusing on some very disturbing realities. I get it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, having lived and worked in Wuhan since 2015 as a Colorado State University (CSU) professor, I see the city as far more than \u201ccoronavirus ground zero.\u201d I\u2019ve come to love Wuhan and its people. I was even preparing to return this semester to continue teaching courses in tourism management when news of the virus emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on my experiences in Wuhan, I want to contribute to the global narrative by helping people unfamiliar with the city to see it&nbsp;<em>differently<\/em>. Without exploring the very real horrors, ongoing uncertainties, and ostensible shortcomings associated with the coronavirus in Wuhan, my aim is that readers will get a glimpse into what Wuhan has represented for me and millions of others before and beyond the recently descended coronavirus curtain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To that end, below is a list of 10 things about Wuhan that I\u2019ve come to appreciate and enjoy while working and living there before the virus outbreak. These range from big picture items down to rewarding, everyday experiences largely ignored in the recent media blitz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan History \/ Economy<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a population of 11 million, Wuhan is located in Central China along the third longest river in the world, the Yangtze. (I usually say Wuhan is located between the pandas and Shanghai.) As with other regions in China, the city has felt the colonizing presence of multiple foreign powers in China between the 1840s and early 20<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;century, including Japan, Russia, France, Germany, and England. It was the site of the initial uprising leading to the overthrow of the last Chinese dynasty in 1911. In recent decades, Wuhan has experienced significant economic diversification \/ expansion due to domestic and international investment in automobile, tech, and finance sectors, among others. The city\u2019s pursuit of improvement is summed up by its motto: \u201cWuhan \u2013 different every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Shopping<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contrasting with news broadcasts of Wuhan\u2019s now grey, empty streets, I live in a usually bustling area of Wuhan called Jiedaokou. Day and night, the area is flooded with vibrant lights and well-dressed urbanites enjoying modern shopping areas and entertainment centers. I have immediate access to three massive malls just 10 minutes walking-distance from my apartment at Central China Normal University (CCNU) \u2013 the campus where I teach&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/warnercnr.colostate.edu\/hdnr\/master-tourism-management\/\">natural resource tourism<\/a>&nbsp;for CSU (video slideshow&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lN-YCrNkIB8&amp;t=3s\">here<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Western stores abound like Haagen Dazs, Sephora and Air Jordan, with myriad Asian chains like Uniqlo thrown into the mix. At the grocery store I frequent in one of the malls, I have access to loads of fresh fruits, mini-kegs of Danish and Belgian beer, German milk, Swiss muesli, and French wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Western Restaurants<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both in and around the malls near my apartment, there are also hundreds of restaurants: Indian food, Japanese food, Thai food, steak and burger joints, beer bars with really good tacos, genuine Italian pizzas (the Chinese owner prides himself on his authentic sauces and crusts), and the list goes on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese fare obviously abounds, as well. The scintillating, fresh flavors are impossible to describe (ginger, green onion, cilantro, pickled radish, and black vinegar add-ons are particular favorites). Suffice it to say I look forward to going back for wanton soup, sesame breakfast noodles, steamed buns, beef soups, and a host of other dishes like hot pot or Asian burritos wrapped with rice instead of tortilla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan People<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I didn\u2019t know anything about life in China before arriving in 2015. I didn\u2019t know that acquaintances in Wuhan would refuse to let me pay for my meals until I was settled. (I heard time and again, \u201cYou are our guest!\u201d) I didn\u2019t know that the Chinese were so curious about American culture. I didn\u2019t know Wuhan policemen would kindly point out the best places to eat. I didn\u2019t know students would be so eager to learn and support each other. I didn\u2019t know my Wuhan friends and colleagues would enjoy sharing so much of their own history and culture (leading me on excursions in Wuhan and to other cities like Chengdu, Xi\u2019an, Guilin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In short \u2013 my view of China has been transformed thanks to the ongoing generosity, kindness, and respect of the Wuhan people toward me and toward Americans at large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Public Transportation<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Very few Westerners are aware of the quality of public transportation now available in China. In Wuhan, for example, the number of clean, convenient subway lines has risen from 3 to 8 over the last four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More impressive, of course, are the high-speed trains now linking Wuhan to other major cities nationwide. The trains are smooth \u2013 you pretty much hear and feel nothing while barreling along at 200-plus miles per hour. Given Wuhan\u2019s location in Central China, I often avoid the hassle of airports and take a comfy bullet train to arrive in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Hong Kong in just four to five hours. America could learn from the Chinese and step up its train game in providing such efficient public transportation options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Coffee<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As in much of the world, the coffee craze has hit Wuhan. New shops are continually cropping up with well-trained baristas doling out latte art and offering all manner of specialty drinks. I\u2019ve developed a solid set of go-to-cafes minutes from my apartment, each with desirable \/ distinguishable features like a lakefront view or colorful chandelier and leather seat interior. Among my list of options, all within a 10-minute walk, are three of the now 100 (yes, 100!) Starbucks stores sprinkled across Wuhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2020\/02\/IMG_9968-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2020\/02\/IMG_9968-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2020\/02\/IMG_9968-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2020\/02\/IMG_9968-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2020\/02\/IMG_9968-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2020\/02\/IMG_9968-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Beer<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like coffee shops, craft beer bars are springing up all over the city. Some are run by foreigners (e.g., Americans, Botswanans, etc.), although a growing number (and no doubt a majority) are run by Chinese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These bars offer beer options from all over the world \u2013 bottled, canned, on draft. I can walk down the street, for example, to the bar owned by my Botswanan friend and his Chinese wife to find the Milk Stout from Left Hand Brewery out of Longmont, Colorado. Many nearby watering holes have another personal favorite on tap \u2013 the crisp classic Carlsberg from Denmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com\/Restaurant_Review-g297437-d16891407-Reviews-The_Devil_s_Brewery_and_Smokehouse-Wuhan_Hubei.html\">craft brewery and smokehouse<\/a>&nbsp;just opened across town, as well, where they offer a solid list of beers and American-style BBQ made in-house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Universities<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wuhan has more than 50 colleges and universities and over a million college students \u2013 arguably one of the largest student populations in the world for a single city. The university where I\u2019m stationed (CCNU) is considered a Top-100 school in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other schools like Wuhan University have gained significant international recognition. A U.S. friend of mine does research there; he recently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chinadaily.com.cn\/a\/202001\/31\/WS5e338fada310128217273d36.html\">shared his views<\/a>&nbsp;on life in Wuhan since the city was locked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, I was surprised to learn that U.S. News and World Report ranked one university in Wuhan \u2013 Huazhong University of Science and Technology, or HUST \u2013 higher than both Stanford and MIT in global rankings for computer science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Leisure<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The area around my apartment has several gyms with swimming pools (membership dues ranging from 20 to 80 USD per month), as well as several movie theaters with IMAX and 4-D film viewing options. In 2020, Hollywood is projected to make&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/11\/05\/chinas-box-office-is-expected-to-surpass-the-us-in-2020-thats-good-news-for-hollywood.html\">more money in China<\/a>&nbsp;than it does in the U.S. In fact, I and some friends watched \u201cBlack Panther\u201d in 4-D several years ago, with moving chairs and scents of the African veldt enriching the usual 3-D viewing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just a short metro ride away from my apartment is the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dragone.com\/en\/shows\/the-han-show\">Wuhan Water Show<\/a>. (Think Cirque du Soleil meets Chinese love story.) Known officially as the \u201cHan Show,\u201d viewers congregate in a giant dome with stadium seating, moving platforms, pools and waterfalls, grandiose music, giant high-def digital backdrops, acrobatic divers, and costumed dancers. It\u2019s all in Chinese but entertaining for non-Chinese speaking foreigners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Wuhan Safety<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Travelling throughout China, I\u2019ve been amazed at how safe its massive cities are. Wuhan is no different. I\u2019ve found you can walk anywhere at any time of the day or night and feel completely safe. Completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It says something about China when you forget your 2018 MacBook Pro on a subway seat in Wuhan (which I did) and the laptop travels 1.5 hours to the end of the line (which mine did) without anyone touching it. (Selfies ensued with overjoyed police the next day when I retrieved my laptop from them at the terminal station.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My purpose with this article has been to put a different spin on the Wuhan coronavirus conversation. I\u2019ve intentionally ignored the bad and the ugly \u2013 recognizing and remembering what I love about a place now internationally renowned for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If my optimism doesn\u2019t satiate your need for nuance, you can always find articles and opinion pieces that depict Wuhan more, one might say,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/23\/world\/asia\/wuhan-coronavirus.html\">holistically<\/a>&nbsp;or even&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/29\/opinion\/coronavirus-china-government.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;fbclid=IwAR3lzZHWcZ1pLySHU1cWi7LwpuNOHsycvIeyiir3f6bZ5KABecxZzse4Z6Y\">critically<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of reader predilections, I honor those involved in the fight against this global threat. To employ a Chinese phrase meaning \u201cCome on!\u201d \u2013 itself going viral across Chinese social media and representing Wuhan\u2019s fighting spirit \u2013 I say to Wuhan and the world: Ji\u0101y\u00f3u \u52a0\u6cb9!<\/p>\n<cite>David Knight, Ph.D., Personal Blog.<a href=\"https:\/\/knightexplorer.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/15\/love-for-ground-zero-thoughts-from-an-american-whos-lived-in-wuhan-china\/\"> Love for ground zero: Thoughts from an American who has lived in Wuhan, China<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>https:\/\/wp.me\/p6CaDz-C3 Original Post Largely unknown to Westerners until a month ago, the city of Wuhan in Central China has gone viral. It\u2019s become a place synonymous with words like epidemic, quarantine, \u201cblack swan.\u201d While the global media has multiplied unfavorable views of the city, criticism against Wuhan has come from within China, as well. Consider,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":385,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-post","tag-wuhan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1548,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363\/revisions\/1548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/csu-uschinatourismlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}