序 言
新冠疫情對武漢而言無異於一場突如其來的橫禍。
我們很難將兇猛的病毒與白雲黃鶴、晴川歷歷、龜蛇鎖江和三鎮雄峙的武漢聯繫起來，但它的確在武漢爆發了，而且迅速傳播到世界，釀成全球上億的人被感染，400萬人死亡的曠世慘禍。
如果中國政府不屏蔽李文亮醫生的吹哨聲，不刻意掩蓋疫情信息，這場瘟疫絕不至於如此慘烈。極權制度是新冠病毒這朵惡之花生長的肥沃土壤。
中國政府為什麼要隱瞞疫情呢？或許是極權制度使然，或許還有更深的隱憂。人類歷史的經驗告訴我們，專制國家面對災難都如出一轍，那就是竭盡全力掩蓋事實。人民的生命在獨裁者眼裡總是最卑微的，他們最關心的是國之大者–政權的安危。
獨裁與荒謬是一對孿生兄弟。2020年初，當病毒在武漢快速傳播時，北京的春節團拜會正談笑風生，湖北的人民代表大會和政治協商會議平靜如水，江岸區百步亭社區萬家宴端出了“4萬個家庭13986道菜品”，共度農曆小年。只可惜，新冠病毒完全不屑於“共產黨的領導”和“兩個維護”的大局，天馬行空，獨來獨往。
一時間，成千上萬的武漢民眾驚恐哀嚎，醫療系統瞬間崩潰，整個城市瀰漫著死亡的氣息。驚恐萬狀的“人民領袖”和“偉大舵手”情急之下，強令武漢政府封城隔離。
人類歷史最大規模和最嚴酷的封城出現了。沒有法律程序，沒有安置預案，沒有制約的權力與肆無忌憚的病毒在武漢共同演奏了瘋狂奏鳴曲。
一座一千萬人口的城市頓時墜入人間地獄。
那坐在陽臺上為母親哭求一張病床的敲鑼女人，那個深夜追著離去的車輛哭喊“媽媽”的女孩，那個患上新冠肺炎跳樓身亡的70歲的尿毒症患者，那個一家四口相繼去世，在遺書中感慨“輾轉諸家醫院哀求哭拜，怎奈位卑言輕，床位難覓”的常凱，這慘烈的一幕幕畫面至今還浮現在武漢人的眼前。
武漢成了一座與世隔絕的孤島，每一棟樓和社區都畫地為牢。互聯網成了他們唯一的交流通道和社區。這時，一部日記給他們在寒冬中帶來了慰籍，那就是作家方方的“武漢日記”。
武漢封城後，成千上萬武漢人夜晚上床前，早晨起床後，第一件事就是看“方方日記”，既從她那兒了解疫情的變化，也從她那兒感受武漢人的艱辛和悲涼。方方的日記，如同至暗時期的一縷亮光，讓人們看到了生命的脆弱，個體的渺小乃至無助、無奈、無能、無力和無望，看到蕓蕓眾生的哀哭和掙紮，看到武漢封城之後武漢人經歷的苦難。
方方在日記中寫道：許多死者被病毒感染，沒有機會住進醫院，也沒有得到有效治療，甚至有些人連確診都沒有，就匆匆離世。“人不傳人，可控可防”這八個字，變成了一城血淚，無限辛酸。時代的一粒灰，落在個人頭上，都是一座山。而我們偏偏處在一個塵土飛揚的時代之中。
於此同時，另一部《武漢疫情日記》也在海外流傳，它從2月15日起至3月23日止，共計38篇，作者是風中葫蘆。《武漢疫情日記》連載於美國中文網站“博訊新聞網”和“北京之春”網站。
風中葫蘆是位武漢詩人、作家和書法家。他淡薄名利，為讀書而讀書，為寫作而寫作，為書法而書法。
風中葫蘆的《武漢疫情日記》為海外華人了解武漢的真實疫情打開了一扇窗戶。風中葫蘆本人就在疫情的第一線，他因社區員工身份而穿行於武漢的大街小巷，記載下了他親歷的情景。
風中葫蘆在日記中既描述了底層民眾的焦慮和無助，也反映了政府救助的混亂和失序。社區在中國本是最基層的居民自治組織，但在疫情中它卻無奈承擔了社會救助的主要責任。中國抗疫模式的舉國體制居然是靠一個個無權、無錢和無力的社區支撐。“高效”的舉國體制背後是民眾的心酸、血淚和次生災難。
風中葫蘆的父母都曾在疫情早期感染了新冠病毒，但因不知情而沒有恐懼，居然都痊癒。他在疫情期間，每天都在為社區居民賣菜、送藥和幫助他們就醫。這些平常的小事在疫情期間卻關係著升斗小民的生命。作為知識人，風中葫蘆透過這些具體的小事，思考人性的善良和醜惡，政府的責任和公民的權利，以及信仰和生命的救贖。樸實的文字，將現實的場景和深邃的思考都融合在這部日記裡。
作者寫道：“如果不能樹立起個人就是目的的理念，個人就只能是一部機器中的零件，民眾就成為了蟻群蜂群。蟻群中不存在個體的價值，所有的個體都為維護蟻族的存在和發展為目的，為了蟻族的整體利益，任何個體都會隨時被犧牲。所以充分尊重並維護每一個人每一個患者的健康是現代文明的必然結果。一個國家的強大富庶是這個國家每個公民富裕幸福的體現和必然結果，而不是相反。”“面對強暴，有人恐懼，有人歡呼雀躍，最終也有人抗爭，但在抗爭中獲勝的人也要將強暴加諸於他人。於是最終我們回到原點，信仰。是的，信仰是人類精神的原點。信仰不是我們所理解的世界觀，信仰的目光超越了我們所生存的世界。”
今天，武漢解封已經過去了一年多，劫後餘生的武漢人已經恢復了正常的生活，但那封城的悲痛記憶還停留在人們的心裏。那逝去的冤魂也未遠離這座城市，至今武漢人也不知道新冠病毒來自何方，有多少人感染，有多少人死亡？那製造武漢封城慘禍的當權者已經變成了英明的“救世主”，那報導疫情的公民記者張展和怒斥“救世主”沐猴而冠的任志強已經被關進了監獄。偉大與醜陋，正義與邪惡交織在武漢疫情中。
3月23日，已經封鎖了2個月的武漢即將解封，風中葫蘆在最後一篇日記中寫道：“我看見很多人正湧上大街，男的穿著嚴整，女的花花綠綠，他們沒有重量，仿佛隨風而至，他們在等待，在傾聽，而聲音好像過於遙遠，於是他們聽的更加認真……，他們是未來者還是早已逝去的魂靈？”
3月24日，封城第62天。作家方方寫下她武漢疫情日記的最後一篇。她寫道：作為被封在家兩個多月的武漢市民，作為親歷親見了武漢悲慘時日的見證人，我們有責任有義務為那些枉死者討公道。如果我們放棄追責，如果我們將這一段日子遺忘，如果有一天我們連常凱的絕望都不記得了，那麽，我想說：武漢人，你們背負的不僅僅是災難，你們還將背負恥辱。忘卻的恥辱！如果有人想輕松勾掉這一筆，我想那也絕不可能。我就是一個字一個字寫，也要把他們寫上歷史的恥辱柱。
是為序！
獨立學者：張傑
2021年7月1日於紐約
I
PREFACE
Jie Zhang, Independent Scholar
The Covid-19 pandemic was a sudden and unexpected disaster for Wuhan. It is difficult to relate the lethal virus to Wuhan where we expect to see the white clouds, the yellow crane, the clear Long River, the tortoise and the snake harboring the river and the three towns standing tall. But Covid- 19 broke out from Wuhan and spread rapidly worldwide infecting millions of people and 4 million deaths worldwide.
If the Chinese government had not blocked Dr. Li Wenliang’s whistleblowing and deliberately covered up information about the pandemic, the pandemic would not have been so tragic. Unfortunately, “The totalitarian system was a fertile ground for the growth of the evil seeds of the new virus.”
Why is the Chinese government hiding the pandemic? Perhaps it is because of the totalitarian system, or perhaps there is a deeper concern. The experience of human history tells us that all dictatorships face disasters in the same way, and they always do their best to cover up the facts. The lives of the people are always the lowest priority in the eyes of dictators whose primary concern has been the safety and security of the regime.
Dictatorship and absurdity always come hand in hand. In early 2020, when the virus was spreading rapidly in Wuhan, the spring festival party in Beijing was rocking and rolling high. However, the People’s Congress and the Political Consultative Conference in Hubei were as calm as still water. The Baibuting Community Banquet in Jiang’an District served as many as 13,986 dishes for 40,000 families to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
It’s a pity that the virus does not care about the big picture of the “leadership of the Communist Party.” It comes and goes like clouds in the wind. Thousands of people in Wuhan wailed in fear, the medical system collapsed instantly, and the city was filled with the smell of death. Finally, the terrified “People’s Leader” and “Great Helmsman” were so desperate that they forced the Wuhan Government to seal off the city.
The largest and most draconian city lockdown in human history took place. No legal process, no resettlement plan, no restraint of power and a rampant virus, they all mingled together playing a mad sonata in Wuhan.
A city of 10 million people suddenly fell into hell. A woman sat on the balcony and cried for a hospital bed for her mother. A girl screamed “Mom!” after the ambulance took her mother at night. A 70-year-old uremia patient jumped from a tall building. A family of four died one after another in their apartment. The people still remember the tragic scene of Chang Kai of Wuhan.
“I have been begging and crying in all the hospitals, but it is difficult to find a bed.”- Chang Kai.
Wuhan became an isolated island. Every building was a prison. The internet was the only communication channel for the people of Wuhan. At this time, “Wuhan Diary” brought them comfort in the cold winter, which Fang Fang wrote.
After the closure of Wuhan, thousands of Wuhan people read Fang Fang’s diary before they went to bed at night and the first thing they did when they woke up in the morning to learn from her about the changes of the Pandemic and to share the hardship and desolation of Wuhan people. Fang Fang’s diary was like a ray of light in the darkest times, showing people the fragility of life, individuals’ insignificance, and even their helplessness, incompetence, powerlessness, and hopelessness. It was about the cries and struggles of all the people in Wuhan after there was a lockdown.
Fang Fang wrote that many of the deceased were infected by the virus without having the opportunity to be hospitalized or receive adequate treatment. Some even passed away in a hurry without even having a confirmed diagnosis. Thus, the eight Chinese words “People do not spread the virus, the pandemic is controllable and preventable” have turned into a city of blood and tears and infinite sorrow. A grain of dust in one era would be a mountain when falling on the head of an individual. And we are in a dusty era.
At the same time, another “Wuhan Lockdown” was circulating overseas with 38 articles from February 15 to March 23, written by Hulu in the Wind. In addition, “Wuhan Lockdown” is available on the U.S. and Chinese websites, “Boxun News” and “Beijing Spring.”
Hulu in the Wind is a poet, writer, and calligrapher from Wuhan. He is not a fan of fame and fortune. Instead, he reads for the sake of reading, writes for the sake of writing, and does calligraphy for the sake of calligraphy.
Hulu in the Wind’s diary of “Wuhan Lockdown” opens a window into the actual situation in Wuhan for overseas Chinese. Hulu in the Wind was on the front lines of the Pandemic himself, traveling through the streets of Wuhan as a community service worker and documenting his experiences.
In his diary, Hulu in the Wind describes both the anxiety and helplessness of ordinary people in society. It is also a record of the confusion and mismanagement of government. The community, which is supposed to be the grassroots self-governing organization in China, had reluctantly assumed the primary responsibility for social assistance during the Pandemic. China’s state-wide system of fighting the Pandemic was supported by community service center workers who had no power and no money. Behind the so-called “efficient” state-wide system were the people’s heartache, blood and tears, and the secondary disasters after the Pandemic.
Hulu in the Wind’s parents had been infected with the Covid-19 virus early in the outbreak, but they recovered due to being unaware of their infections. During the Pandemic, Hulu in the Wind spent his days selling food, delivering medicine, and helping people get medical care in the community service center. These are the small things that matter to the lives of ordinary people during a pandemic. As an intellectual, Hulu in the Wind ponders on the good and bad of human nature, government responsibilities, citizens’ rights, and the redemption of faith and life through these small, concrete activities. The diary combines realistic scenes and profound reflections by using simple language.
The author writes: “If we do not establish the idea that humanity is the purpose, then an individual is just a part of a machine, and the people would become a colony of ants and bees. It is obvious there is no individual value in a colony of ants. All individuals are used to maintain the existence and development of the colony. Any individual will be sacrificed at any time for the overall benefit of the colony. Therefore, modern civilization’s inevitable result is to respect and maintain each individual’s health fully. The prosperity of a nation is the inevitable result of every citizen’s wealth and happiness and not the other way around.” “When facing dictators, there are those who fear, those who rejoice and ultimately those who fight. Even those who win in the fight will also inflict dictatorship on others. So, in the end, we must come back to the point of origin, the faith. Yes, faith is the origin of human spirituality. Faith is not a world view as we understand it; the vision of faith is beyond the world we live in.”
Today, more than a year has passed since Wuhan was reopened. The people of Wuhan have resumed their everyday lives after the disaster, but the sad memories of the city’s showdown still linger in people’s hearts. The devil of the virus has not left Wuhan city. The people of Wuhan still do not know where the virus came from, how many people were infected and how many died. The people in power who caused the tragic showdown of Wuhan have become wise “saviors.” Zhang Zhan, the
citizen journalist who reported the Pandemic, and Ren Zhiqiang, who denounced the “saviors” as monkeys, have been imprisoned. The great and the ugly people, the righteous and the wicked minds, are intertwined in the Wuhan pandemic. On March 23, Wuhan, under lockdown for two months, was about to be unlocked. In his last diary, Hulu in the Wind wrote: “I saw many people swarming the streets, men dressed in formal clothes, women dressed in flower designs. They were weightless as if they were coming with the wind. They were waiting, listening, and the voices seemed too distant, so they listened more seriously……, are they the future or the spirits of the long-dead?”
March 24 was the 62nd day of the city lockdown. Writer Fang Fang wrote the last diary of the Pandemic in Wuhan. She writes: “As citizens of Wuhan who have been locked down for more than two months, and as a writer who has witnessed the tragic days of Wuhan, we must seek justice for those who died in vain. If we give up on accountability, if we forget this tragedy, if one day we don’t even remember Chang Kai’s despair, then I would like to say: Wuhan people, you are not only having a disaster, but you are also in shame. The shame of forgetting! If someone wants to check this off quickly, I don’t think that’s possible either. So, I will write them word by word, putting them on the pillar of shame in history.”
July 1, 2021, in New York
