“I don’t regret it. When I first signed up to join the volunteer team, I had never thought that the voluntary work would last as long as nearly a month. But if I am asked whether I would like to go through it again, my answer would be ‘yes.’ I really value every minute of the days throughout the battle,” said one of the “multi-language volunteers” who had been working on the frontlines of the battle against the COVID-19.

“Within only a month, my schoolmates whom I had never met before and I became  friends. This hard-earned friendship is so precious that it will be worth recalling in the future,” another volunteer said.

“As parents, we feel so proud of you. You are the country’s pride and the pride of the parents,” said one parent.

On April 5th, the quarantine period for BISU voluntary team was over, and the volunteers resumed their regular life. Xiong Zhuo, secretary of Beijing Municipal Youth League Committee; Ji Jinbiao, president of BISU and Zhang Yan, vice-president of BISU, attended the returning ceremony at a training site in Changping district.

The work to safeguard the country from the pandemic is a hard job with heavy responsibilities and enormous workload. The contribution made by the volunteers and the commitment they demonstrated have earned praise. Their work spirit has shown the world that Beijing youth are capable of undertaking heavy tasks. BISU volunteers have drawn the attention and recognition from the society and officials at various levels. On the returning ceremony, Xiong conveyed to the volunteers the appreciation given by Cai Qi, Party secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee.

Hao Qingmei, the secretary of Youth League of BISU, summarized that since the March 19th, 33 volunteers from nine departments had been working for 13 days, providing service in three languages. They served a total of 438 people from 42 countries. Their working time totaled 2,703 hours. They handled as many as 6,200 copies of digital files. The student union and committee of CPC and Youth League organized eight activities to boost the volunteers’ spirits. The team showed their professional expertise and that young people could handle serious responsibilities. 

Zhang Shuang, a volunteer, shared her experience: We should remember the spirit of BISU and do what we are good at to help others. At the China International Exhibition Centre, the parents had seen with their own eyes that their kids had undertaken the big responsibility and how they have grown. The whole voluntary team expressed their gratitude to all those who helped them during their work. Once we make a promise, we ought to be meticulous and responsible and do our best till it is realized.

In the battle against the epidemic, the family and the school cooperated with selfless love. Qu Ru, executive vice director of the BISU CPC Publicity Office, read a thank-you letter to the parents. The letter praised the parents for cultivating and supporting their children, who had answered the country’s call when they were needed. A representative of the parents, the father of Tian Shengxi -- a 2018 student from the School of Economics -- also expressed his gratitude for the concern and trust from coming from all walks of life. He was also very pleased to see his child's growth through this volunteer activity.

Speeches from student representative, Zhang Shuang, and parents’ representative, Tian Shengxi's father, recalled the memories of their work at the gateway of the country.

In order to encourage the selfless volunteers’ devotion, BISU has carefully designed customized postcards, which record the blessings from the school and moments when volunteers worked in the frontlines of the country. On behalf of all sectors of the society, BISU presented these incentives to the volunteers. The leaders gave the postcards and thank-you letters to the volunteers.

Finally, Ji Jinbiao, the president of BISU, spoke at the meeting. He was proud of the BISU volunteers for the contribution they made for the country. Ji praised the volunteers because they completed the work of language service with professional knowledge and skills, which has won wide applause. They have done a good job! He is also glad that the students have grown mature in serving their motherland, that they have put into practice BISU’s goal of training to integrate language and national development. Ji said that the students have shown their deep understanding of the concept of "community for the common future of mankind ", being worthy of the title of "BISU students" eager to shoulder responsibilities and hard work. At the same time, he encouraged the students to always be grateful for everyone and everything they met in the epic battle against the epidemic. “I hope you are a child under the sun and an adult when facing the wind and rain."

Coming back from the battle against the epidemic, the volunteers were met with banners saying “thank you for guarding the motherland." They recorded the efforts and gains of the Multilingual National Anti-Epidemic Volunteers Team, and the slogan saying “thank you, the crabapple flower guarding the country" accompanied the volunteers to leave the camp site. As the begonia flower blossoms, a new journey begins. Teachers and students of BISU will keep in mind the encouragement of General Secretary Xi to the majority of young people, “to shoulder the mission entrusted to us by the present Time, and sing the song of youth in the new era with practical actions.”

Many media including Beijing TV, China Education TV, Beijing Daily, and Beijing headlines reported on the team's dramatic return. The details can be viewed in the "BISU media" column of this website.