Life Lessons from China's Response to the Coronavirus

TODAY, I ’d like to share some ideas about important life lessons we can learn from China’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, along with some encouraging insights from foreigners who lived in China over a century ago.

- WILLIAM N. BROWN

If you understand the spirit of ancient Chinese, and why foreigners had such great respect for both China’s government and its people in the past, you will understand why Chinese today are able to tackle such formidable foes as poverty, hunger, and now the raging epidemic.

“Democracy” or Coronavirus?

Recently, I overheard an American ask his friend, “Did you quit shaking hands because of the virus?” “No,” he replied, “I quit because everyone is out of toilet paper.” I’m glad that American people still have a sense of humor at a time like this! But what is not funny, is that some of the wealthiest nations not only lack toilet paper, but also still don’t have virus test kits even more than 10 weeks after China shared the virus’ genome with the world. Why are these nations so unprepared?

Even a little logic should have suggested the virus would spread globally, but they not only didn’t prepare but also went to great lengths to explain why their “democracies” could not take China’s lead. Western media have reported how China’s draconian measures such as quarantines and restrictions on travel deprived people of their basic rights of freedom of movement. But fast-forwarding to an epidemic that is now a pandemic, governments are falling over themselves to take many of China’s preventative measures.

Places like San Francisco are of course careful to avoid the word “quarantine,” which violates people’s inalienable right of movement, but they ordered people to “shelter in place,” which may sound less restrictive and more “democratic.” However, it sounds to me that the wording is still restricting people’s movement — and these restrictions are needed, so why pretend they are not?