The Italians’ days are now marked by the Civil Protection bulletin which, at 6 p.m. sharp, informs us about the Coronavirus situation. The latest updates are by no means reassuring. Streets and squares of all Italian cities are deserted. And in the air there is a sense of anguish and sadness for an uncertain and sudden future. But here’s the good news. Those that put the focus on solidarity and warm our hearts. Those that, in a particular moment of our life, we would all like to hear. “The good news” is the help that Italy is receiving from China in these hours.
Xiaomi reminds us that we are “flowers from the same garden”
Large wooden boxes covered with a white sheet on which it is easy to recognize the Italian and Chinese flags. An image that just flew round the media in the last period. Thus began the story of China’s solidarity with Italy. A story that, in the midst of so many sad news, it is worth talking about. It is March 5 when, through a post on Facebook, Xiaomi informs us hat it has donated thousands of masks to Italy to counter COVID-19.
“Since we have arrived two years ago, we have felt loved and deeply integrated into the life of the country. This is also why we felt the duty to support Italy in the management of the COVID-19 epidemic, by donating a first important quantity of FFP3 masks.” This is the message from the Chinese company. On gift packages, in addition to flags, we read “We are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden”.
The task force from China arrives in Rome
But it didn’t end there. On March 12, just before 23.00, the Rome Fiumicino airport welcomed a China Eastern Airlines’ charter flight. Other masks? Yes, but not only. Nine Chinese doctors, experts in the fight against the new Coronavirus, arrived from Shanghai to complete the splendid solidarity mission. The team, made up of six men and three women, will put all the experience gained in China during the battle against COVID-19 at the service of Italian hospitals.
Together with them they brought 31 tons of sanitary material, including a load of masks and 40 ventilators. But also antiviral medicines, blood, plasma of people hospitalized for Coronavirus. “We came here to share our experiences, we worked extensively in Wuhan.” Professor Liang Zongan declares, on the front lines in Wuhan when the Coronavirus infection seemed unstoppable. “We have worked all this time to accumulate first-hand clinical experiences. Among these, some gave excellent results, others proved to be errors. This is why we are here to share our knowledge with Italian colleagues so that they do not make our own mistakes and can instead quickly use what have proved to be positive”.
Thank you China
The team of doctors, coming from the National Health Commission of China and the Red Cross Society of China, will remain in Italy for about 10 days. The noble gesture of China will help Italy to ease the situation in hospitals where it is most critical. Chinese are the protagonists of a video that recently appeared on social media. A group of artists from different provinces who studied “The Opera” in Italy came together to perform Puccini’s “Nessun dorma”. “All’alba vincerò”, intoned in unison at the end of the video, arouses emotion and precedes the message of hope in Italian and Chinese: “Come on, dear friends, we are close to you!”. We are not alone. Thanks China!
Italy in the heart
