Sanitation workers celebrate in the city
Shanghai's sanitation workers, separated from their families and staying in the city during the Spring Festival holiday due to COVID-19, celebrated Chinese New Year's Eve on Thursday.
Sanitation worker Tang Biao drives a trash collection tricycle on Thursday.
Sanitation workers in Xuhui District are busy making jiaozi, or dumplings, a traditional Spring Festival food.
Tang Biao, 50, and Hu Caiyun, 47, had two simple meals on the day at their 20-square-meter apartment in Hongkou District.
They are natives of Dangshan in Anhui Province and are not going home for the holiday.
They only had one hour for nianyefan, or Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, due to work.
"I prepared five dishes such as peanut and fish soup as lunch, and jiaozi (dumplings) and cucumber for dinner," said Hu.
"The meals are sumptuous, right? " she said. "But it is lonely and I miss my family."
Sanitation workers in Xuhui District enjoy jiaozi, or dumplings, a traditional Spring Festival food.
Hu's parents are in their hometown.
"I feel a little bit sad and sorry but my mom understood my decision, and she asked me to be here to prevent the spread of the virus," Hu said.
Last year, the couple went home for the Spring Festival holiday.
"We are a big family and more than 10 people gathered together, chatting about our daily life and watching CCTV Gala together," Tang said.
"I like watching the show but could not watch it tonight," said Hu.
The couple said they will have a video chat with family in the evening.
Hu Caiyun, a sanitation worker, braves the rain to pick trash from greenery in Hongkou District on Thursday.
Sweeping streets on Siping Road and Linping Road N., Hu walks more than 10,000 steps a day and her work didn’t stop until 10pm on the eve.
Tang drives a tricycle to collect trash from the streets.
Hu captures her daily life with short videos and uploads them on short-video platform Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
One video has got more than 600,000 views, which Hu said made her happy.
Xu Yufeng, a sanitation worker in Xuhui District, burst into tears during a video talk with her daughter on Thursday.
The native of Xuancheng in Anhui Province made jiaozi with her colleagues and had a simple but warm nianyefan at noon.
"I missed her but it was a must decision although it is not easy," Xu said.
Sanitation workers in Xuhui District make jiaozi, or dumplings, a traditional Spring Festival food, on Thursday.
Peng Miaomiao, who has two children aged 12 and 10 at her hometown in Henan Province made the same decision.
"It is the first time that I am apart with them during the holiday," she said.
Her children showed her their homework during a video chat.
Peng did not tell her children that she needed to work on the eve at the riverfront area of Xuhui.
"I don't want them to know that I work hard, and I will do anything only if they are healthy and safe," she said.
Sanitation workes receive nianhuo (Spring Festival goods) packages on Thursday.
Dong Ping, 54, another sanitation worker in Xuhui, would have been home in Dangshan in Anhui Province if it was not for the pandemic.
"I should chat with my mother at village while having melon seeds," said Dong.
He delivered kiwi fruit and walnuts to his mother in her 80s before the holiday.
"These are her favorite foods and she can eat when chatting with villagers, which I wish can make her happy," he said.
A sanitation worker eats jiaozi in Xuhui on Thursday.
