James Kon
Despite the current COVID-19 pandemic around the world, local celebrity Wu Chun has been busy carrying out his work in China in the last few months.
Wu Chun, who recently returned to Brunei after 100 days in China, recalled his trip overseas with his whole family, including wife Lin Liying and children Max and Nei Nei.
While in China, he attended various events as well as five photo shoots for magazines. In addition, with China hosting the Beijing Olympics, Wu Chun and his family also had a chance to visit the venue and join a Winter Olympic TV reality show.
Speaking on the situation in China during the global pandemic, he said, “Everyone live their lives more normally now, but enhanced in terms of health checks, such as regular scanning of health codes everywhere you go and enforcement of wearing masks in public places.”
On how he and his family kept safe while travelling, he said that while many are still hesitant to travel, based on his experience and research, he felt safe.
“Aside from hospitals, airports might be the place with the highest risk to catch the disease. It’s one of the reasons almost all airport workers wear personal protective equipment and taking precautionary measures with strict implementation for prevention.”
On how he attended and officiated events amid the COVID-19 situation, he said, “As long as there are zero cases in a city, events can be conducted.
“For the shooting of TV shows, all crew members, except celebrities, are required to wear masks during filming, and all of us need to take swab tests every three days as safety and preventive measures.”
On the Winter Olympic TV reality show, Wu Chun described it as “really an amazing experience”.
He added, “The athletes trained their whole life just for this once-in-a lifetime opportunity. However, many were removed from their support system during the highs and lows of pandemic.
“The mind is powerful, and one of the challenges the pandemic brought is maintaining a good mental health and I salute the athletes for being such inspirations to the world to thrive no matter what the circumstances are.
“Getting to experience winter sports doesn’t happen every day. So this reality show enabled me to learn a lot about Winter Olympic sports.”
Besides work, Wu Chun also got to spend valuable time with his family in China during the festive season.
“Holidays are really a thing our family always looks forward to, and spending Chinese New Year with my family, being able to experience snow and other exciting things, is something we really cherish,” he said. “It was great to get the chance to hang out with our Shanghainese friends during the festivals, especially as we are moving to Shanghai soon.”
On future plans, he said, “After June, I am planning to bring my kids to China because I want them to learn more about the Chinese culture and roots.”
Wu Chun also gave some words of encouragement for those who are unable to travel to see loved ones.
“Change is inevitable. It’s a challenging period, these two years, and everyone needs to learn to adapt and accept what’s happening in our communities now. See what’s good in these changes and make the most out of it. These experiences and challenges opened our eyes that everything is uncertain; you’ve got to live and love now.”
“What matters is to encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as we can and to stay safe so we can work our way safely towards the endemic phase,” he said. “Let’s look for each and emphasise the positive aspects of our developing situation. At the same time, be patient. Coming to terms with change and making peace with it is a gradual process.”
Wu Chun also sent a message to frontliners of the health crisis:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded quickly, drastically changing our way of life.
“In Brunei, as we thrive and continue to adjust through the aftermath, I want to continue to express how grateful I am to our country’s first responders, medical and healthcare workers, all who have kept food and supplies moving in spite of risking being exposed.”
He added, “For heroes that have worked tirelessly to protect and serve our communities, thank you for your courage.”
