A Japanese girl, 14, raises donations for China’s Wuhan, epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, at a festival in Tokyo on Sunday. (Photo/huanqiu.com)
A video showing a Japanese girl carrying a donation box and bowing to passengers to raise donations for Wuhan's fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) has won tearful appreciation on Chinese social media.
"China is a warm-hearted country. I'd love to go to Wuhan and see the cherry blossoms there after the epidemic," the girl told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
The girl, wearing a traditional Chinese qipao, was taking part in a weekend lantern festival in Tokyo, in which the event organizer set up a designated "Support for Wuhan" area. She was soon dubbed "the most beautiful Japanese girl" by Chinese internet users.
Her mother, surnamed Sugisaki, told the Global Times on Sunday that the girl is only 14 years old, and asked not to name her in the report.
"I did nothing extraordinary. It would be great if my efforts could make everyone smile," said the girl, who seemed to be shy about her popularity in China.
When asked about whether bowing all day long made her feel cold or tired, the girl said, "It's no problem, as there are more people who are making greater efforts than me. I'm doing this because I want to. I just want to do what I can do best."
Under the influence of her mother, who has experience studying in Beijing and working in Shanghai, the girl traveled to China when she was younger and got to know many Chinese friends.
She said her Chinese friends often sent Chinese snacks to her and took care of her when she was ill. These small acts left an impression on her of Chinese people's warm-heartedness.
The girl and the mother have been paying close attention to the situation since the NCP broke out in Wuhan. When they saw on television that people in China were facing many difficulties, they began to think about what they could do.
That was when they noticed that the Tokyo lantern festival was recruiting volunteers to raise donations for Wuhan, and signed up immediately.
Many of the girl's classmates asked her since the virus outbreak, "Isn't China terrifying?" The girl will always reply, "It is not China that is terrifying, it is the virus. Chinese people are warm people and China is a warm-hearted country. I like China."
The girl said she would like to study in China in the future, learn to speak Chinese and communicate more with Chinese people.
Liu Lisheng, an organizer of the event in Tokyo, told the Global Times on Sunday that the event was almost cancelled when the NCP broke out. But as the situation came under control in Japan, the Japanese members of the organization staff said that this was precisely the time to call for more Japanese people to support China and support Wuhan.
Japan is a country that faces frequent natural disasters such as earthquakes, and China has helped Japan in many past disasters, Liu said.
"China and Japan should always help each other," Liu said.
