Separated by Wuhan lockdown, staying close through tech: how my family bonded over news, games and videos this Lunar New Year

Any other year around this time, she would be busy preparing food for Lunar New Year meals or playing mahjong – a tile-based strategic game known as China’s “national pastime” – with family members.

But the lockdown, announced on January 23 – two days before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday – has left her to celebrate New Year’s Eve, traditionally a time for family reunions, alone in our home.

As the situation in my hometown worsened, I cancelled plans to fly back from Shenzhen, where I am based. My dad, who works for a natural gas company in a different part of the city, has also been unable to go home as public transport within Wuhan has been shut down. He told me he thinks it is important for him to stay on duty at this critical time to guarantee a safe and reliable gas supply to all residents in the city, most of whom are sequestered at home.

Due to spending Lunar New Year in separate places, my family has had to rely on phone calls and our shared chat group on Tencent’s ubiquitous app WeChat to keep in contact this year.

As a reporter covering technology news, I thought I would be the one updating them on the latest about the coronavirus situation. But to my surprise, my parents, who are relatively new internet users in my view, have been sending me news on the epidemic before I’ve seen it.