Portrait of a Place: Wuhan

On 23 January 2020, Wuhan—a major port city of 11 million people in central China—was closed off from the world to prevent the growing spread of the new respiratory illness COVID-19. For almost two months, the city’s residents stood on the frontline of an unprecedented biosecurity emergency, which has led to the largest quarantine in human history.

Using drone technology and on-the-ground recordings, this episode of Portrait of a Place provides a snapshot of the city at the height of China’s self-isolation measures. Insightful voice-overs from the city’s residents describe how the heaving metropolis fell strangely quiet and empty as people were told to stay indoors.

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