April 23, 2020

More than two weeks after Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, lifted a lockdown and embarked on the road to recovery, many small businesses in the city continue to be constrained by a slew of challenges, including slow business and closures due to lingering anti-epidemic efforts. Some small businesses owners are facing what they call "a life-and-death situation", but still keep the tenacity.

Wuhan, which has been billed a "city of heroes" for the massive sacrifice it took to stop the spread of coronavirus epidemic, once again emerged as remarkably resilient in face of the new challenges. Over the past few days, pictures of Wuhan residents lining up for jobs stood in stark contrast to people lining up for unemployment benefits in countries like the US. The challenges for many in Wuhan, which was under lockdown for 76 days, remain more dire than many places in China and around the world and they require more targeted policy support from the central and local governments, but ultimately the city will prevail once again, businesses owners and analysts said of the city.

'Life-and-death'

"We are now positioned in a 'life-and-death situation," Zhang Yong, who owns a ride-hailing company in Wuhan, told the Global Times. Zhang's company operates under China's biggest ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing and generates profits from car rental fees from drivers. "We did not earn a single penny when the city was placed under lockdown." 

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1186475.shtml