Children of front-line medical workers share stories

At an event over the weekend, children of Shanghai's front-line medical workers were awarded for their writings and speeches about their parents' fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was organized by the Shanghai Education Center for Science and Art, among other parties.

Launched in March, it received 336 essays and 160 speeches, presenting front-line combat stories of family members from the youngsters’ perspective. These works also showed their respect for the heroes and included children's experiences of the virus.

A total of 20 won top prizes in the writing section and 10 in the speech section.

Among the winners, Xing Sixian, a seventh-grader from Shanghai Dongfang Middle School, told of her mother’s positive attitude.

Xing said she thought that only those who sacrificed their lives could be regarded as heroes and she did not want her mother to become a heroine.

But when her mother was helping fight the pandemic in Wuhan, the former epicenter in China, she discovered that ordinary people can be heroes too.

Lin Xinhao from Yangpu Primary School talked about how his mother stuck to her post at a fever clinic to fight against the novel coronavirus and brought peace and tranquility back to life.

Zhang Enrui, from Putong Primary School, talked about his father who left to support Wuhan during the Spring Festival, which also inspired him.

The winners will deliver their speeches online later to share stories of their parents with more people.