Healing Through Words: Beijing Postcards Wants Your COVID-19 Stories

In psychology, a flashbulb memory is one that pertains to a poignant event seared into our minds, one that explodes and sparks before leaving its indelible mark, the inescapable soot – like that from a magnesium flash – on our life. While certainly not the rule, these events are usually traumatic in nature (as poignancy is unfortunately so often measured) and require some level of shared outpouring, grief, and discussion.

The coronavirus pandemic and its ensuing fallout will be one such event in our lives. While the virus lacks the definition of a singular and explosive moment – it has instead been marked by steady and drawn-out destruction – and features peculiarities dependent on the community it embeds itself in, the overarching crisis has doubtlessly left individuals with similar tales of havoc, quarantine, and instances of goodwill.

It's these latter stories that history, research, and tour company Beijing Postcards are looking to compile. By reaching out to individuals, they hope to create an oral history of how the damage caused by the coronavirus has also had the capacity to build bonds, especially at a grassroots level. As such, they want to hear from you and other Beijingers who can provide insights on how the virus has changed life on the ground, highlighting experiences that stood out in contrast to the barrage of negative news and death.

We spoke to Beijing Postcards' founder Lars Ulrik Thom about what he hopes to achieve with the project as well as positive changes that he has witnessed in the city.

What inspired the project of collecting oral histories of Beijingers who have lived through the pandemic?
I think it is important to see the opportunities in things changing. A lot of very small positive things have happened on a grassroots level as a consequence of the peculiar times we have lived through.

Working with history you are always looking for patterns and turning points like the liberation in 1949 or the Boxer Rebellion, and I think that the coronavirus might be such a turning point. Normally we are looking at how the past reflects on the present, and the future even, but this time it feels as if the strange limbo we have been going through actually in a very interesting way reflects on what was just before. A good example is the children in my compound. I have literally never seen them play outside as much as they have been doing, because now the pressure of homework has been eased. Some people, like these children, have actually found a kind of peace they did not have before.

The project seems to be in part driven by the need to look for the positives that have come out of Beijing during this time, particularly on a personal level. Has there been something positive that you’ve encountered recently that likely wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the current circumstances?
Yes, a lot! I think that the community spirit is stronger. A small thing in my compound is the contact with our neighbors. The whole compound used to be a ghost town, even though hundreds of people live in the apartment block you never saw people, but that has changed a lot. We greet each other much more. 

On a less personal level, I think the Zoom talks of the Royal Asiatic Society have helped to fill a void following the closure of The Bookworm. I also think that the Summer Palace has never been more beautiful on account of them starting to control the numbers of visitors. Peter Hogg told me that musicians had started to come along to his Ossie Bar for free because they just really want to play together. This never happened before. Sanitation, needless to say, is also better throughout the whole city!

In your announcement post about the project, you say, "We have become united in protecting the weakest and least productive parts of the population, and there is something truly extraordinary about that." Is there anything in particular that you’d recommend we do to continue this goodwill?
Forget about big politics and fear. No matter whether you are a Chinese or a foreigner find ways of connecting that can make us find common ground.

As someone with a keen understanding of Beijing’s history and geography, what changes do you think we’re likely to see in Beijing on account of the pandemic, even after it has waned?
Hmmm… I think it is difficult to answer this question. The short answer is that I don't know, but I think we have a strong say ourselves. I think we must help each other look through fear – connecting with other people is the answer to turning good out of this situation. 

What do you eventually envision doing with the entries?
We will make a talk about the coronavirus based on the stories, and we will make a designated project side at our website as a kind of archive.

Is there anything else that you’d like to add about the project or anything else Beijing Postcards has in the works currently?
Yes! We have just started our themed Saturdays again in Dashilar. Every Saturday we have small exhibitions and walks in the Dashilar area, and it has been a very positive experience to reconnect with people, both neighbors and visitors.

You can share your lockdown stories and photos with Beijing Postcards via their official WeChat (ID: 北京卡片) or by email at info@beijing-postcards.com.

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Images courtesy of Beijing Postcards