Zhan Qingyuan was among the first batch of physicians sent to Wuhan early in 2020 when the city was grappling with the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhan, the chief physician for the Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Department at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, recalled his experience in the virus-hit Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, in an exclusive interview with China Daily website.

As details unfolded about how the China-Japan Friendship Hospital was mobilized to support Wuhan city, Zhan recounted the ordinary yet resilient local people in hard times.

Zhan also spoke about treatment of Yi Fan, a COVID-19-infected physician in Wuhan whose recovery was widely reported and lifted spirits nationwide.

Producer: Han Lei

Coordinators: Zhang Chunyan and Zhu Xingxin

Script and video editor: Wang Yujie

Reporters: Chen Yu and Yin Weihao