The author of the essay wished to remain anonymous to avoid punishment for criticizing the Chinese government. Wuhan has been under a government-ordered lockdown since January 22.

The author described how people rushed to 24-hour convenience stores within an hour of the lockdown’s announcement to get food. A day later, the author said they celebrated Chinese New Year’s eve with a meal’pieced together from the few ingredients I’d been able to buy in that last-minute shopping trip’.

The author says they have become disillusioned with the Chinese government after it was slow to inform the public about coronavirus.’if we had human rights, democracy and freedom, we would have learned about what happened in Wuhan one month earlier,’ he says.

Only until the fire is out of control, and the entire town ablaze, do they slowly begin taking responsibility while highlighting their own heroic efforts.