Twenty-two nurses, who aided the COVID-19 battle in Hubei Province, and other medics from different Shanghai hospitals celebrated the 109th International Nurses Day in front of the statue of Nightingale at Shanghai Oriental Land park on Tuesday. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Chinese nurses and medics received extraordinary respect, praise and presents from the public on this year's International Nurses Day, as their lifesaving efforts and sacrifices in risking their lives to save patients amid the novel coronavirus epidemic deeply touched many. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent greetings to nurses across the country on Monday, one day ahead of International Nurses Day. Xi said that they bravely marched to the frontlines of -fighting against COVID-19 at home and abroad, demonstrating the noble spirit of respecting and protecting life, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying, and being dedicated to the cause. 

The government of Wuhan, the worst-hit region in China, sent a greeting letter to all healthcare workers in the city on Tuesday, calling them the loyal guards of people's health and the best-loved people in the new era.

The Chinese public expressed gratitude and support to nurses and medics by sending flowers and cakes, reading diaries of frontline doctors, and sharing their memorable stories with nurses on social media. 

"They entered the center of public attention in such a special way, and our attention and gratitude to them will not fade away as COVID-19 ebbs. We should always respect and understand them to improve the tense relations between patients and doctors," one netizen said on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. 

Some netizens who expressed their willingness to better understand doctors and nurses posted photos and their feelings toward Zha Qiongfang, a doctor from Renji Hospital in Shanghai, who recorded medics' lives and work in the epidemic-stricken Wuhan in her diary, which was later published. 

"Reading this real Wuhan diary from frontline doctors on International Nurses Day is very meaningful, and the book describes how frontline medics struggle to save lives.  Readers can feel life and death vividly. It will be in my personal collection," one netizen said. 

According to the National Health Commission, among the 42,600 medical workers dispatched to support Hubei, 28,600, or 70 percent were nurses.

Many netizens shared their memorable stories with nurses, and some said that these stories motivated them to choose medicine and healthcare for their future studies. Medics also posted flowers and other presents they received on Tuesday on social media while expressing gratitude to the public. 

A nurse surnamed Chen from Yichang, Hubei Province, who worked more than 10 hours a day at the peak of the epidemic, told the Global Times on Tuesday that she and her colleagues felt the cheerful atmosphere of the celebration and respect from the public on this year's International Nurses Day, as people from all walks of life sent them presents and gratitude. 

"Cake shops sent free cakes, and we can have free facials and eyelash extensions with our employee cards," Chen said. 

Peng Zhiyong, director of the intensive care unit of the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, told the Global Times that his hospital rewarded hardworking nurses with cash. 

As a frontline doctor who took care of COVID-19 patients for months and shared China's experience with European and US counterparts every night, Peng said that the coronavirus brought medics and patients closer to an unprecedented level. 

Peng hoped this situation could improve people's understanding of medics and help ease strained doctor-patient relationships.