The video on Linda Jiang’s phone seemed to show two different cities.

The first was full of pulsing, neon-lit avenues and monuments swarming with tourists. The second was stark gray and abandoned, its subway stations desolate and its four-lane highways deserted at midday.

“That’s a place where me and my friend hang out all the time when I’m back home,” Jiang said, smiling as the camera panned over a street lined with empty shops. In the next shot, she picks out a particular skyscraper from the city’s skyline. “That’s where I live.”

The city in the video is Jiang’s hometown of Nanchang, depicted before and after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a respiratory disease that has spread rapidly through China and at least 24 other countries. Jiang is one of more than 2,000 Chinese international students studying at SU as the coronavirus slows life in their home country to a near-halt.

The virus — which has infected over 43,000 people and killed at least 1,018 — has forced Chinese students like Jiang to balance academic responsibilities with anxiety over the safety of their friends and family back home.

“One person from [our] apartment can only go out twice a day,” said Jiang, a freshman communication and rhetorical studies major. Like many international students, Jiang checks in regularly with family to see how they are faring during the outbreak. “There is public announcements saying ‘don’t go out, stay at home.’”

While many international students said they remain in touch with friends and family in China, recent travel restrictions implemented in response to the virus have made it difficult for them to see each other in person.

The restrictions have led some international students to reconsider their travel plans for spring and summer break, said Yingyi Ma, a sociology professor at SU and the author of “Ambitious and Anxious,” a book focusing on Chinese international students in America.

Senior international students in particular may fear that family members will not be able to attend their graduation if the restrictions continue, Ma said.

Several international students noted that they were reluctant to buy plane tickets –– which they usually purchase months in advance –– in case the flights would be canceled.

“I know some people usually go back home for Chinese New Year, and now they have to worry about, ‘Oh, can I come back?’” said Joyce Chen, a sophomore Bandier major from Taiwan. “A lot of people are even saying, can they even go back for summer, because what if it doesn’t end?”

International students learned about the outbreak through the internet or social media after returning from winter break, Chen said. When the news first hit, Chinese international students were quick to warn their relatives back home to stay safe, she said.

“It’s scary, because the numbers are rising every single day,” Chen said. “There’s a lot of anxiety going on, I think.”

Several Chinese students said they are particularly concerned about their older relatives, who may be more susceptible to the virus.

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Public health issues like the coronavirus can pose additional difficulties for Chinese students experiencing a new culture, Ma said. These crises can also amplify the differences in how American and Chinese cultures address public health, she said.

“(Chinese students) are getting a very different message from American society compared to Chinese society,” Ma said. “Even though they’re physically here, they’re not immune from the Chinese media and Chinese societal influence, in terms of public health.”

These cultural divides can come to the forefront in Chinese students’ decisions to wear facial masks, Ma said. In China, the practice of wearing facial masks to protect against disease is far more common than in the United States, she said. This can lead to the misinterpretation that students who wear masks are sick, she said.

Some international students noted they feel self-conscious when wearing the masks.

Nate Pan, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, recalled other students avoiding him in class when he wore a facial mask.

“People don’t attack you verbally,” said Ze Zeng, a freshman in the Whitman School of Management. “But they will see you with different eyes.”

Chen said she feels fortunate to not have encountered any incidents of xenophobia since returning to SU after winter break. But she has seen racist posts circulate online, and she has Asian friends in New York City who have been subjected to verbal harassment, she said.

“As international students, I believe we always know that there is always going to be racist people. But it’s sad to see how people turn themselves just because of this virus,” Chen said. “People are just using this as a chance to be racist.”

Yawen Luo, a sophomore studying newspaper and online journalism and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, said she’s particularly saddened by some of the social media posts she’s seen directed toward Chinese people.

The cultural or societal pressures international students face in America can amplify fears about their own health, or that of their family, Ma said.

“Those kinds of anxieties oftentimes are coming from the cross-cultural and cross-national differences, especially when it comes to education,” Ma said. “And this public health crisis, this coronavirus, definitely exacerbates and adds additional layers of anxiety to that.”

Despite their fears about the safety of friends and family members, many Chinese students said they are confident the coronavirus outbreak will be contained. Chenhui Liu, a freshman television, radio and film major from Wuhan, said she is hopeful the outbreak will be controlled in time for her to visit her family over summer break.

A number of international students have also taken action to help those the virus has affected. Zeng and his friend Ruohan Xu have launched A Hand for Wuhan, a fundraising project that aims to send medical supplies to areas affected by the coronavirus. The project has generated more than $52,000 in donations since its launch, according to its fundraising page.

A Hand for Wuhan is planning to send its first order of medical supplies to China in the near future, Xu said.

“All Chinese people are suffering for the coronavirus,” Xu said. “We wanted to start this fundraising program because we wanted to help, even though we are not in China.”

As for Jiang, she said she’s confident her family in China will be safe –– they have friends who are doctors, and she trusts they will look after her parents. But she still worries about the virus, she added.

She regularly reads stories about the coronavirus to prepare for current events quizzes in one of her Newhouse classes, and that includes keeping up to date on the death toll.

“I think the situation is getting better,” she said. “But sometimes it still hits me.”

Published on February 11, 2020 at 11:13 pm

Contact Chris: [email protected]