Wang Haijing, 51, an editor at the Beijing-based People's Medical Publishing House, has remained calm in the face of the spreading SARS epidemic in the city.
She does not wear a mask when she rides on the bus, even though more of her colleagues do so and have urged her to follow suit.
"Doctor Zhong Nanshan from Guangdong says on TV that there will not be any dangers if the air circulation is good, even on a bus," Wang said. "I deeply believe it with my own scientific knowledge. On the bus, the windows are open wide, and I often sit just beside the window, so I am safe.
"Besides, if all other people wear masks, there is no need for me to wear one, I am the safest person there," she said jokingly.
However, seriously, she added that washing hands often, having good rests and food to improve immunity, and having regular and proper exercises are very important and necessary to keep herself and all the people stronger in the face of SARS.
She has been on a diet, eating only fruit and vegetables at supper. In the past few days, Wang has bought some fish and chicken from a nearby food market to make some nutritious soup for the whole family.
"I think it's time to forget about weight problems," she said. "Having a healthy body must be the top priority."
A book named "Self-Protection Against SARS," which was written by medical experts and published by the publishing house where she works, is the latest bestseller in the capital, she said.
"It's a lie if I say I'm not scared about the disease, but I would rather face it with a scientific attitude than to keep myself in endless mental panic."
A Little Lonely
Compared with Wang, Liu Xin, 25, a senior graduate student at the School of International Studies of Peking University seemed more cautious.
She left campus and went back home to southern Beijing last week after the university cancelled all the classes. School may resume on May 6.
"I will just stay at home for a while," she said. "I miss my friends and classmates but to make everybody feel better and comfortable, it's better to stay at home now.
"My parents seem more composed - they still meet friends and go shopping at the supermarket - maybe because they have experienced many more things than I have," she said.
In the community where Liu lives, each home has been distributed a handbook and a brochure with detailed instructions of how to prevent SARS infection, she said.
"Following the instructions, my mother disinfects our home every two days and I wash my hands three times as soon as I come home," she said.
She felt happy that many of her friends called her and sent massages through her mobile phone to ask whether she is OK.
"Most of us were very scared at first, but now, as we know more and more about it, we feel a little bit relieved.
"It's a pity that I can not go to the gym now but I am doing sit-ups every day at home instead," she said.
While Liu Xin and her parents make an effort to maintain life as normal, Lin Nan is regretting not being able to directly help patients infected with SARS.
Young Doctor's Work in Beijing
As a doctor at Chaoyang Hospital in eastern Beijing, Lin Nan sees fewer patients nowadays.
Lin, who graduated from the Capital University of Medical Science last summer, has been treating patients with ear, nose and throat illnesses at the otolaryngological department.
He feels it is a pity that he cannot work at the frontline of the battle against SARS.
"I really want to join the group," he said. "I am so curious about the new disease and it would be a very precious experience for me.
"I lost the chance because the hospital required doctors with longer time of experience," Lin explained.
He said that fewer people come to the hospital now. The doctors in the hospital are informed about the latest information of SARS every day. They have introduced many new measures to guard against cross-infection and protect themselves as well. They wear multi-layer masks, protective glasses, and more regular sterilization within the whole hospital.
"Be careful but don't be so scared," he said. "The best way to protect yourself is to have a regular, healthy lifestyle, which is vital to improve your immune system."
Mother's Own Measures
Whereas people in Beijing and other parts of the country still need time to adjust to the previously little-known disease, people in South China's Guangdong Province are gradually adapting themselves to resuming normal life as the local government keeps strengthening its efforts in controlling the spread of SARS.
Many Cantonese believe a healthy diet is important to fight against SARS.
"I never bought any Banlangen for my family, but I paid much attention to our daily diet," said Lin Yong, 54, a retiree who helps take care of her four-year-old grandson at home.
Since the spring is humid and hot in Guangdong, Cantonese people do not like to take too many hot foods, such as mutton, shrimp and chicken, which Lin said would cause symptoms of "shanghuo," meaning heat rising inside.
In addition to vegetables and fruits, soup has been an indelible part of the daily diet of Lin's family.
"I like to use ingredients like tremella and lotus seed when cooking meat soup because they would make the soup tasty and are very good for your health," Lin explained.
Tremella is better known as yin'er or silver ear, with its large white loose lobes that turns somewhat crystal after being stewed. It is also known for its function in cleansing the lung, among other possible nutritious effects, according to traditional Chinese beliefs.
Also according to traditional beliefs, a person's health hinges on the balance between the "yin" and the "yang" in his/her body. Too much "yin" (represented by coldness) or "yang" (represented by heat) would weaken the body's defense against invasion of viruses or bacteria from the outside.
Spring is when people usually have more heat in their bodies than coldness.
So "these special ingredients, such as tremella and lotus seed help us get rid of the heat in our body and keep the yin and yang in balance," Lin explained.
From a Doctor in Guangzhou
Since the first case of SARS surfaced in the province in late November, Guangdong has been one of the hardest-hit areas in the country. It has become the focus of most news stories regarding the epidemic over the past few months.
"There is no need of panic over SARS," said Chen Hua, a 30-year-old physician working with the People's Hospital in Guangzhou, capital of the province.
The hospital has admitted over 160 SARS patients since early February and none of its medical staff has been infected.
Though Chen has worked at the emergency room and dealt with some SARS cases, her life, as she described, has continued as usual as before.
What troubled her most, rather than getting infection of SARS, was the lack of sleep when working at the night shift.
"We should in no way scare ourselves. To some extent, SARS is no more dangerous than other epidemic diseases that we doctors have confronted before," Chen said.
"Of course, it's better for you, for society to be nervous rather than indifferent," Chen added. "When you get nervous you pay attention to prevention!"
Many people did get nervous back in February when rumors about SARS began to spread around the province, recalled Ding Huiyan, a journalist working with a Guangzhou-based newspaper.
Local people resorted to folk remedies to fight against the disease. They used white vinegar and a Chinese herbal remedy known as Banlangen, which is made from the root of the indigo tree. Many Chinese people resort to Banlangen to combat common colds, despite that no medical authorities have proved that these remedies could effectively prevent the disease.
When Ding went to the drug store for a small investigation, she found gauze masks and Banlangen had been disappearing from the shelves.
Influenced by the tension, Ding decided to follow suit. Like most of her colleagues, she began to drink a kind of "liangcha" (an herbal tea popular in the province, especially in the summer), the recipe of which is targeted mainly at flushing toxins from the body and reducing humidity and heat.
Though she hardly believed that the herbal tea could really prevent her from catching SARS, she drank it for a couple of days.
"Fortunately, the nervousness did not last long and life is back to normal again," Ding recalled.
Nowadays, she dines out with friends. Though she bought a number of gauze masks a few months ago, she seldom wears it even when she goes shopping or takes the bus.
"It seems a little bit awkward for you to wear a mask, especially when there are not many people wearing masks around the city," explained Ding. "To keep a good state of mind, I think, might be more useful than having any medicine to prevent the disease."
(China Daily April 29, 2003)
