The 84-year-old Zhong Nanshan comes to the frontline and leads Chinese people to fight against the epidemic. CHINA DAILY
In the fight against the SARS epidemic 17 years ago, Zhong Nanshan became a hero in the hearts of many Chinese people for his courage in assuming responsibility. Today, this hero comes to the fore once again and continues to reassure people while the nation is battling the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP).
在17年前抗击非典疫情的战斗中，钟南山以勇担责任的勇气，成为许多中国人心目中的英雄。如今，在举国抗击新冠肺炎疫情之时，这位英雄再次站了出来，让人民安心。
When the NCP was first reported in late December, the National Health Commission enlisted high-level experts to investigate the novel coronavirus. As a leading Chinese respiratory expert, Zhong was appointed the head of the expert team. Despite being 84, he took on the task without any hesitation and headed to Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease.
去年12月底，首次出现新型冠状病毒肺炎病例报告时，国家卫生健康委员会召集了高级别专家调查这种新型冠状病毒。作为中国首屈一指的呼吸科专家，钟南山被任命为高级别专家组组长。84岁高龄的钟南山毫不犹豫地接下了这个任务，前往疫情中心武汉。
Due to the huge number of travelers caused by the upcoming Spring Festival, Zhong failed to book any airline or high-speed train tickets. Instead, he had to settle for a temporary seat in the dining cab of an overnight train. Even so, he didn’t take a rest that day and studied the information of infected patients until he arrived in Wuhan at 11 pm.
由于春节前夕旅客众多，钟南山并没有买到飞机或者高铁票。他只能挤在一趟夜班火车餐车的临时座位上。尽管如此，他那天也没有休息，而是拿出感染病患的文件来研究。他到达武汉时，已是深夜11点了。
In the next two days, he maintained his busy schedule. Apart from numerous meetings, Zhong also worked as a messenger to inform the public of the situation. During those days, Zhong only got four hours to sleep each night, Guangzhou Daily reported.
在接下来的两天里，他的行程依然十分紧凑。除了频繁开会之外，钟南山还向公众传递相关情况信息。据《广州日报》报道，接连几天里，钟南山每天夜里只能睡四个小时。
“Zhong showed us his relentless and unflappable spirit in this incident,” Zheng Jinping, deputy director of the research center for respiratory diseases in Guangzhou, told China.org.cn.
“在此次事件中，钟老向我们展现了坚持不懈、镇定自若的精神，”广州呼吸疾病研究院副所长郑劲平在接受中国网采访时表示。
While seeking effective measures to prevent and control the disease’s spread, Zhong also tried his best to stop the public’s panic amid the NCP outbreak.
新冠肺炎疫情期间，钟南山在寻找有效方法来预防控制疾病传播的同时，也尽最大努力让公众避免恐慌。
When many couldn’t get N95 face masks, which were believed to be the best to prevent the virus, Zhong wore a surgical mask in an interview to show people that surgical masks can also work well.
在许多人都买不到被认为是预防病毒最有效的N95口罩时，钟南山戴着普通外科口罩接受了采访，向大家表明这一样有效。
In 2003, Zhong became a trusted expert due to his devotion to truth in the fight against SARS. Many were calmed by his words and listened to his advice.
2003年抗击非典期间，坚信真理的钟南山成为备受信任的专家。许多人听到他的话之后都镇定了下来，并遵从他的建议。
Still leading the fight against the novel coronavirus, Zhong maintains his role of telling the truth and reassuring the public. As he told Beijing Television, in this critical situation, “morale, solidarity and cooperation are very important.”
此次带头抗击新冠肺炎疫情的钟南山依然做到了按事实说话，令公众安心。正如他在接受北京电视台采访时所言，在这一艰难时刻，“士气、团结、合作很重要。”
