BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- As the pandemic engulfs the planet, never forget that we're still surrounded by countless acts of kindness, and uncountable heartwarming moments which can uplift our spirits.
Muhannad Shalabi is the Jordanian owner of an Arabic restaurant "Beyti" in Yiwu, a major small commodity hub in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. He chose to stay in the city where he now calls home, with his family and friends during this Spring Festival. Muhannad loves to prepare traditional Arabic Coffee, a fragrant brew with a mellow and fruity flavor, for his loved ones.
30-year-old Iranian Sina Karami works at the Wakanda Cafe in central China's Wuhan city. He made coffee for his customers during the Spring Festival holiday. Wakanda decided to provide free coffee for medical workers last year when Wuhan declared a lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus to other parts of China and beyond, Seven baristas race against the clock to brew around 500 cups of coffee daily and send them to three hospitals free of charge.
Iranian barista Sina Karami delivers packed coffee to medical workers in February 2020. (Picture provided by Sina Karami)
During the COVID-19 lockdown in El Salvador, coffee-consultant and businessman Hugo Hernandez connected Salvadoran producers with Chinese e-commerce companies to scale up trade between the two markets. His idea is to make the most of Salvadoran coffee in China and the country's booming online retail sales.
"China is developing this world-renowned technology that is making life easier for countries in the way we do business, in logistics, in the entire issue of payments, in the issue of export, and in, of course, two-way information," Hernandez said.
In Costa Rica, the families of Maria Antonieta and Nimga Munoz have also been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last May, they, alongside other local families, received food packages containing basics like toilet paper, rice, beans, coffee, sugar and oil. The Chinese community in Costa Rica has not only donated daily necessities, but also provided medical supplies like masks and disposable clothing.
There are so many inspirational stories still waiting to be told. This winter is not easy amidst a coronavirus pandemic. But as we have each other as a source of warmth, this winter is not that dark and hard.
Give a little love. Together, we can make a huge difference.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service■
