Two brave books tell the story of lockdown in Wuhan
They are a vital counterpoint to the Chinese government’s official narrative
China’s new mantra is unequivocal. The country has won a “major and decisive victory” over covid-19. The outgoing prime minister, Li Keqiang, repeated this phrase on March 5th in a speech at the opening of the annual session of China’s parliament. He cautioned the nearly 3,000 masked delegates that the pandemic was not over, but he did not suggest the virus needed to be crushed, a feat that China spent nearly three years battling to achieve, until late in 2022. The Communist Party wants to move on from—and wants citizens to forget—the trauma of deaths and lockdowns.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “How it was done in Wuhan”
Culture March 11th 2023
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