Construction worker, a Wuhan native, helps build hospital

Editor’s note: This series tells the stories of selfless individuals, from medical workers to volunteers, who are bravely fighting the virus outbreak with extraordinary dedication.

Fu Changbing, a construction worker and native of Wuhan, Hubei province, stepped forward to help fight the novel coronavirus outbreak after returning to his hometown from Guangdong province on Jan 21 for the Lunar New Year reunion with his family.

Fu, who had been working at a construction site in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, before coming home, took action after seeing a TV news program on Jan 26. It was reported on the program that Leishenshan (which translates as "thunder god mountain") Hospital was to be built in the district where he is from in Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Fu asked his village head for information about the hospital and said he wanted to help at the construction site.

The village head introduced him to the person in charge of building Leishenshan Hospital. As soon as he was granted permission, Fu joined the builders, bringing with him more than 30 people from other villages.

"I am an employee of China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group," Fu said proudly. "At this difficult time I should step up to do my part."

The workers were given a course on safety before undertaking their tasks, and were required to wear masks, safety helmets and winter coats at the construction site. They also were told that protecting themselves properly would help protect others as well.

They moved building materials, tied steel bars, cleaned up on-site garbage and poured concrete as needed.

Fu said he felt bad that he had missed out on building the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan ("fire god mountain") Hospital, which opened on Monday after being completed in just 10 days.

It isn't the first time China has built a hospital in so short a time. In 2003, Xiaotangshan Hospital in Beijing was constructed in just seven days to treat victims of SARS.

The two hospitals on the outskirts of Wuhan will serve as quarantine institutions for treating patients infected with 2019-nCoV. Along with hundreds of workers at the construction site of Leishenshan Hospital, Fu worked from 6 am to 6 pm.

A big challenge for Fu and his colleagues was getting to the work site, since all public transportation in Wuhan has been suspended.

Fu asked a friend for several minivans, and the vehicles were provided, so he and several colleagues were given free rides each day.

Because it was still cold in Wuhan, Fu's ears were frostbitten, and since he wore a mask all day, he always had clear marks on his face.

Leishenshan Hospital, which has 1,500 beds, covers an area of 75,000 square meters. Construction, which began on Jan 25, was completed on Wednesday, and the hospital was expected to begin admitting patients on

Thursday.

The construction workers, whose race to build the two new hospitals was livestreamed, have become heroes.

The workers were well rewarded-$150 pay on average for each day, according to China Global Television Network.

Their work was not just noticed by people in China, either. Architects, healthcare professionals and authorities in other countries are among those who hope to see what lessons can be learned from the rapid building of emergency response centers in the event of outbreaks or natural disasters.