In Photos: Reliving the End of Wuhan's Lockdown With Andy Braun

Original Anna H & Drew P theBeijinger

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Andy Braun is no stranger to watching history unfold from behind the lens of his camera. Despite his youthful 29 years, Braun has already found himself in a number of tense situations, standing at the crossroads of broad societal shifts. So when he got the opportunity to spend five days in Wuhan, photographing the tail end of the Hubei capital's long and arduous lockdown, he quickly boarded a train in Shanghai and set out for the now-infamous city.

Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Braun moved to China in 2013, living in both Shenyang and Beijing before relocating to Shanghai two months ago. During his time here, he has held a number of jobs, all while doing freelance work on the side, and it wasn’t until late last year that he decided to make the hustle official, opening his own creative agency, Braunosaurus (braunosaurus.com).

We spoke with Braun about his work in Wuhan, the reality on the ground versus media narratives, and what his new company has planned for the future.

Why did you go to Wuhan, and what did you do there?
I went to Wuhan for a media assignment to film and photograph the opening of the city. I spent five days in Wuhan walking over 80,000 steps and biking over 20km to cover as much as I could.

A man leisurely walks along Wuhan's waterfront

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What kind of stuff did you photograph, and was it easy to get people to participate?

The vast majority of my photos and videos were of daily life and key parts of the city. The weather changed quite a bit, from cloudy to sunny to rainy, so it gave me a wide spectrum to see the city how it is. Many of the streets were still barricaded and with checkpoints, and as a foreigner, there was a lot of rejection or having to explain myself to get into these areas. To be honest, to hide my appearance I would regularly wear a baseball hat to cover my blonde hair, and my facemask helped cover up my larger-than-average nose, but my cameras were the big trigger. People would see my big pro Canon camera and large lens and immediately get suspicious, but as a street photographer, you try your best to blend into the area and let people be themselves.

Were you ever afraid?
I don't think I was ever afraid, but there were quite a few moments where I was nervous and on edge – eerie is a good word to describe some moments.

Rain falls on a masked statue in Wuhan

What's the mood like?

The mood swung quite a bit. Sometimes pleasant, sometimes solemn, sometimes joyous, sometimes on-edge and suspicious. Overall, the people living there are doing their best to keep many aspects of their normal lives... well, alive.

How were you received as a foreigner?
Ah, this is an interesting one. Since many foreigners had left, and it being impossible for foreigners to get a local green health code, many of the locals haven't seen foreigners – except ones that work in media and are toting large cameras. Some people were absolutely pleasant and told me some of their experiences. This is of course after explaining what I was doing and showing them my Shanghai green health code. Some openly harassed me and called me dangerous. As I'm American, and the new pandemic epicenter being there, some were nervous around me and would alter their course when they found out I'm American. (You may ask how they knew this, and, well, at each checkpoint I had to show my passport, and the passport cover says everything.)

This boy seems more than happy to engage with Braun, an American

Did you experience anything that you don't think has been portrayed/talked about in the general media?

I was lucky enough to borrow a friend's Niu e-scooter while there, and on a sunny day got to explore huge portions of the city. During this day, the people were outside eating at local diners and having coffees at bistros, all basking in the pleasant rays. I also explained my way into a large riverfront park where I saw kids and parents flying kites, scooting on scooters, and generally enjoying their normal selves, just with masks on.

Also, I've seen Western media talk about numbers. If they've been here and seen how restrictive the city is and how comprehensive the lockdown is, they would understand – and, honestly, well done.

Making the most of warm weather and loosening restrictions along the waterfront

Do any especially sad/joyful/weird/exciting moments stand out to you?

The strangest moment was arriving at Wuhan Station. When the train stopped I had to double-check that I was there as no one else got up, and when I grabbed my bags and walked down the aisle, I could feel everyone's gawking eyes as I headed to the door. Once outside the train, I was the only one on the platform (with more than normal security there too, all dressed in PPE). I stayed a bit on the platform to film some, and everyone on the now-departing train was looking at me as well. But for being one of the busiest train stations on the planet (usually), it was completely barren, and leaving the train station was checkpoint after checkpoint of people in full PPE. It was an especially eerie feeling.

Another instance of eerieness was standing across the street from the wet market that was confirmed by Chinese authorities as the birthplace (maybe there's a better word for this) of the COVID-19 virus that is now ravaging the planet and halting all economies. It was confirmed by three sources in the city that this was the market, and while security was tight, I just rode a Mobike right up to it, and it astounded me that this market was surrounded by high-rise residential and commercial properties. It wasn't some backward market in the rural parts of the city, it was in the city's CBD. Now the market is boarded up and I was told it'll be demolished.

One instance that left me stunned was when I was riding the scooter behind an ambulance heading to Tongji Hospital in central Wuhan. With the window open, I could see inside and I vividly remember seeing a person in full PPE giving chest compressions while another in full PPE was inserting a tube in the person's mouth. I hope the person is alive and well.

But on a happier note, it was great talking to some of the foreigners about their experiences and becoming friends with the hotel staff, who were more than happy to share their experiences. While it's been a rough, rough 70-plus days of lockdown, their sheer enthusiasm of things becoming better was a resounding sentiment. Yes, it sucked for a while and it was scary, but their patience and optimism is something that's truly admirable.

Where are you now? What's your plan for the next few months?
I'm now based in Shanghai and in pre-departure for a couple of projects coming up. I've covered the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan, and I'm ready to get wherever else is needed. While many in my field are giving up on 2020 already, I have optimism that we'll pull through, and Q3 + Q4 will be incredible (revenge spending and whatnot).