This city's character is a mix of things.
It is lively.
Indomitable.
People here aren't scared of anything.
It was natural to do something.
I passed this street every day on my scooter.
This is the way to my home, and my parents'.
I slipped and fell three times during the lockdown
when it was snowing.
"The war against coronavirus has begun.
We are counting on everyone
to stay inside, no gatherings.
Do not leave Wuhan."
When Wuhan first locked down everything was in darkness.
For the first time my city felt very strange.
My friend suggested we should go out and film something.
To see what was out there.
- You have a warm heart.
These masks are bad quality.
Not fit for humans.
So this is a good way to remind everyone to wear a face mask.
Then things got more and more serious
as more news came in.
More and more people were getting infected.
Hospitals ran out of equipment.
People started to get nervous.
I became a volunteer because
I saw the need of people while I was out documenting.
Thank you.
There was one time we went to a big parking lot
that was full of what they called "pandemic homeless".
We brought them fruit.
You had to do something for the city.
It needed healing.
Things are getting very real now.
- I have no idea where to go.
- I have nowhere to cook my food.
Go home if you have nothing to do.
And don't go out.
I was one of the lucky ones.
It didn't crush me.
After lockdown, I couldn't just reopen my bar
because I couldn't get the permission needed.
But we still had all our bills to pay.
During the pandemic, we volunteered and donated things,
but after lockdown you find you have no business or money.
You become the one that needs help.
Many people reached out though at that time.
Fuck.
I used to be slim.
Hello.
Please give us more feedback.
Long time no see.
- Congrats.
The numbers are really unsteady.
Business is like a rollercoaster.
We had amazing sales from May to August.
It exceeded last year's.
Local people wanted to hit the town after months staying at home.
But in September the numbers plummeted.
I think the reason is nobody is visiting Wuhan.
Nobody wants to come this year.
Everyone wants to reset 2020.
There was a time when we were really worried.
People were scared our beer carried the virus.
Because it was from the epicentre.
You can't carry these negative feelings forever.
You have to move on.
I want to make a beer that captures this.
What do you think?
Everything will pass.
I want to call it "turning the page".
- We have one beer we barrelled in late 2019.
- It's been in the casket exactly one year now.
Right before the pandemic?
- Exactly.
- The flavour changes.
- It smells like coffee.
- It goes from a bitter taste to something sweet.
That really sums up 2020.
Everyone struggled.
But slowly things get sweeter.
As with life as with the beer.
You guys were stuck outside Wuhan during the lockdown?
I was in Thailand.
My mum was really sick at the time.
We thought it was just a bad cold.
Never imagined it was coronavirus.
But later she found out through antibody tests
that she had the virus.
Do you think Wuhan is safe now?
Does life feel normal?
- When it got really bad outside of China,
we felt Wuhan was safe.
Actually then it felt like the safest place to be.
For me, now it feels like things are the same as before the virus.
But it is not.
It is like we've been cut and left with a scar.
Though it doesn't hurt much now,
the scar will always be there.
Wuhan is now famous in the strangest way.
"The first coronavirus city" is something we may never lose,
but we hope we can create a new label for our city.
Are you not scared of the virus?
- But I'm so young!