That day, I was with Wang for six or seven hours. On the basis of the short one-on-one conversation I had with him, I had the overwhelming feeling that Beijing's anti-SARS leadership were willing to give their blood, sweat, and tears for the safety of the people and the city.
No one could imagine the selfless and endless work they did over those days.
Deputy Mayor Lu Hao is only 35. In truth, when I heard that Beijing had appointed the nation's youngest deputy mayor, my first thought was that he must be the son of some old guard dignitary. That day, when Lu spoke at the anti-SARS supply group headquarters, not only did he thoroughly refute my earlier judgment, but I was also moved by his candidness, wisdom, and talent.
Who could handle the responsibility of a city of over 13 million people? Moreover, in such an unprecedented epidemic, every second counts. One misstep could destroy the city and cause countless deaths.
"Trust in your conscience. You have to have the desire to save lives if you want to spur yourself on." These were Lu Hao's opening remarks; they were simple and clear, without an ounce of official jargon.
"What does 'conscience' mean? It means not letting others down. Not letting the people of this city down. Not letting yourself down in your work. Nobody has experienced a crisis this sudden, and no one thought that the government would have to bear such a great burden. What can you depend on? Your abilities? Your abilities might be limited, but if you trust in your conscience, it'll be enough. Your approach? Your approach might be right one minute and wrong the next. But, if you trust in your conscience, the people will understand you, and forgive you of your mistakes. What do we have to fear? We can do it! We have the guidance of the Party, the support of the city, and the backing of the nation. So what do we have to fear?"
When Beijing's epidemic was at its peak, protective clothing became the only way to withstand the assault of SARS. Lu Hao's supply teams not only made sure that protective clothing was delivered to everyone on the frontline against SARS, but also that it was done in a cost-effective manner. One set of DuPont protective clothing ordinarily cost 40 yuan. Lu got it down to 27 yuan. As an economics graduate, this was the young deputy mayor's proudest achievement in the fight against SARS. Several million sets of first-rate protective clothing, made available within days.
"There have been no under-the-table deals made to provide protective clothing to the people of Beijing," Lu reassured us. "You can quote me on that."
With his resounding and powerful words, Lu is the very model of a public servant of the SARS era. It reminded me of General Secretary Hu Jintao in the streets of South China's Guangdong Province, warmly shaking hands and conversing with the people. It reminds me of Wen Jiabao, before the students at Peking University, confessing how the past few days of dealing with the SARS issue had brought him to tears. Indeed, no war can be won if its leaders do not have the proper strategy. Victory in the People's War requires the people to have faith that their leaders work for the people's greatest benefit, using their knowledge and abilities to get the optimum results. The faith of the people comes in part from feeling sincerely connected to their leaders.
The head of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission wept as we discussed how the anti-SARS campaign leadership saved the lives of students.
"At the height of the epidemic," he said, "patients" lives depended on hospital bed spaces being available. That day, a student at Jiaotong University had been diagnosed. Two other people were diagnosed at the same time: one was, Xie Fei, a director at the film school, and the other worked in the Beijing medical services. At the time, there were only two bed spaces left in the whole city. Xie Fei is a professor, and he is old, so he was quickly checked into a SARS hospital. The remaining choice was between a university student and a medical expert. HQ agonized over who would get the bed space; in the end, it went to an ordinary university student. Xie Fei and the student made a full recovery, but the medic…" He couldn't carry on.
Duan Jie was the dispatcher in charge of logistics at the Beijing SARS Treatment Center. After joining the HQ on April 22nd, there wasn't a single day where she slept more than three hours. With a form in one hand and a telephone in the other, she was in charge of hospital bed resources across the city.
"The lives of every single patient in the city depend on how fast I can use the phone and draw up plans," she said. "At work, I wouldn't dare waste time on a call, but when I looked at all the calls lighting up the switchboard, it filled me with fear. I knew I had to solve their problems the second I picked up the phone. So many lives were in my hands."
Duan Jie had a son who hadn't seen his mother in close to two months. He wanted to pick up the phone and talk to her. Hearing his mother's voice, he said: "Mom, are you ok?"