Editor’s Note: What’re your answers to the review of 2021? Zhejiang in 2021 has witnessed endeavors and opportunities to progress into digital reform, the push of common prosperity, and preparation for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. In the meanwhile, Zhejiang of the year 2021 also experienced challenges faced with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the passing 365 days, loads of news at home and abroad have been selected and presented on "In Zhejiang". At the end of the year, special edition for reviewing the warm and touching Zhejiang moments in 2021 is orchestrated for the audience. Let’s retrospect to the moments full of humanity and comfort and prepare the embrace the new year 2022.

Warm and soothing! Welcome to the Sign Café in Hangzhou

Sign Coffee open to the customers (Photo/Zhejiang Daily)

There is a voiceless cafe on Xingzhou Street in Hangzhou's Westlake District with warm yellow light. Unlike the lively scene around, there is no background music and greetings to the customers, but the sound of coffee being cooked and cups being passed around. Lu Jun, the owner, and his wife are both congenitally hearing impaired, and other disabled customers used to come here to order a cup of coffee and then sit and “talk” to each other. In the past two years, this place has not only become a bay for many hearing-impaired people, but also warmed up many ordinary customers.

Zhejiang makes easy access for all a priority

A bird's-eye view of West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. (Photo provided to China Daily)

The city of Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province opened its first barrier-free swimming pool in November. With the help of volunteer coaches, the physically challenged can sit on an automated pool lift before a mechanical arm helps them get into the water. Swimmers will need to wear lifesaving inflatable armbands. Because of the range of muscles used in swimming, the activity is highly recommended for physical rehabilitation. The measures aim to guarantee equal opportunities for the physically challenged, elderly, pregnant, children and other special groups of people, to participate in social life.

At present, barrier-free facilities are available in the city's major venues, like the train station, revolutionary memorial museum and the Communist Party of China service center. The city will implement standardized barrier-free facilities into new public utilities, commercial outlets and residential communities, as well as strengthening management and supervision throughout the process of design, construction and final acceptance testing.

72 thousand Made-in-Tibet masks help relieve epidemic burden in Hangzhou

Parcels consisting of 72,000 face masks that were produced in Nagchu, Southwest China's Tibet (Photo/Zhejiang Daily)

Parcels consisting of 72,000 face masks that were produced in Nagchu, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, will be arriving in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province within the next few days, local media outlets reported. The masks are a token of appreciation from Nagchu, which has been receiving social and economic support from Hangzhou since last year.

The mask factory, which has a production line located at the highest altitude in China, was also established with Hangzhou's support. With a total of 4 million yuan ($628,400) in investment, the production line made it possible by taking only 15 days from the agreement of initial cooperative intention to the final operation.

Farmers donate rice, vegetables to support anti-virus fight

Liu Mengbo harvests cabbages in Qihua village, Zhanqi town, Ningbo's Yingzhou district. He donated 400 kilograms of vegetables to Zhenhai after the district reported three COVID-19 cases on Dec 6. Photo/Ningbo Daily)

A van loaded with 400 kilograms of vegetables and 500 kilograms of rice donated by farmers from Ningbo's Yinzhou district arrived in Zhenhai district on Dec 7. The donation was made after Zhenhai reported three COVID-19 cases on Dec 6.

The vegetables were donated by Liu Mengbo and his wife Zhang Jianmei, who are from Qihua village, Zhanqi town, Yingzhou district. The couple made the decision after learning about the COVID-19 resurgence in Zhenhai. Liu said that he wanted to contribute his part to the anti-virus fight "at their doorstep" and that he hoped the donated vegetables will help seniors who live alone overcome food problems caused by the COVID-19 resurgence.

Expat couple volunteers in Wenzhou's battle against COVID-19

Pakistani orthopedist Abdul Zahir Hamad checks health QR code at a checkpoint. (Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn)

Pakistani orthopedist Abdul Zahir Hamad and Mauritian surgeon Hosany Sumayyah are a married couple working at the Panhealth Medical Center in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. They have been living in China for about a decade and can speak fluent Chinese.

During the latest emergence of COVID-19 cases in Shaoxing, Hangzhou and Ningbo, three cities that neighbor Wenzhou, the couple once again donned their protective suits and served as volunteers at the city's south-most highway exit checkpoint, checking the identities and measuring the body temperatures of travelers. "They need us, so we are here again," said the couple, who first served at the frontlines when the pandemic broke out in the city in early 2020.

Alumnus donates 250 million yuan to Zhejiang University in anonymity

An aerial view of the Zijingang Campus of Zhejiang University. (Photo/VCG)

An alumnus of Zhejiang University has agreed to donate 250 million yuan ($39.28 million) over five years, local media reported on Dec 16. The money will be used to support the university's development and talent cultivation in the disciplines of physics, mathematics, and chemistry.

Located in the historic and picturesque city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang University is a prestigious institution with a long history. Qiushi Academy, the university's predecessor, was founded in 1897 and was one of the earliest modern academies of higher learning established in China.

The "sweet interaction" between Yongquan tangerine merchant in Taizhou and Zhejiang University PhD students goes viral

Comments of praises from the netizen in Weibo social platform 

"Can tangerines be used for experiments" Chen, a tangerine merchant asked Xiao, a PhD candidate from the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology at Zhejiang University during an online conversation. After being told they could, he asked if the experiment was for the benefit of the country. “You could say so. We are graduate school students,” Xiao replied. “To serve the country, I will donate one box to you … I can’t help our country a lot. Since I’ve encountered this opportunity, I will make my contribution,” wrote Chen. The next morning, Chen sent Xiao a box of tangerines and then added five more boxes when he realized that she had said they needed tangerines of different sizes for the experiment.

After receiving the fruits, she released her online chat with the farmer on her school’s internal website. On the next day, touched by the kindness of Chen, many students flocked to his online shop to buy tangerines. Chen has had to deal with more than 15,000 online orders per day, previously the number of daily orders at his shop on Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo was fewer than 100.

Editor: Huang Yan