Caught in the epicenter

May 5, 2020

University Relations

Buildings in the city of Wuhan, China, form the horizon on a sunny day. Photo by Qian Li.
Buildings in the city of Wuhan, China, form the horizon on a sunny day. Photo by Qian Li.




Qian Li ’12 was vacationing in China when news of the novel coronavirus started to circulate. Hired onto a documentary team, she departed for Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Feb. 5. Li and the team covered several stories, including the production and processing of COVID-19 tests and the disposal of medical waste.


After testing negative for the virus three times, Li was able to leave Wuhan on April 8, as the city opened after 76 days of lockdown. She said her ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ journalism degree prepared her well for this project, and she named Brian O’Donoghue, Rob Prince and Theresa Bakker as mentors.