Firefighters gather to prepare for disinfection works at the Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, March 24, 2020. (Photo by He Hanqiu/Xinhua)

In a commendation conference honoring heroes in China's COVID-19 fight, Ying Yong, Party chief of Central China's Hubei Province, shed tears as he recalled the people who lost their lives to the disease, in a rare and touching scene that aroused people's memories of their unforgettable experience and their respect for the nation's legends. 

The provincial government held a commendation meeting on Monday to pay tribute to the heroes who fought the epidemic. At the beginning of the conference, everyone observed a moment of silence in honor of the martyrs.

During the epidemic more than 3,000 medical workers in the province contracted the coronavirus, Ying told the conference. 

Among those who died, Jiang Xueqing, Liu Zhiming, Li Wenliang, Liu Fan, Xia Sisi and Peng Yinhua were declared martyrs in April.

Jiang and Li were doctors from the Wuhan Central Hospital. Jiang died on March 1 and Li passed away on February 7. Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital died on February 18. He was the first hospital director to die of the virus.  

"In the desperate battle against the epidemic, they ended their lives on the battlefield. They were the loveliest people of the new era and the backbone of our nation," Ying said before taking off his glasses to wipe tears from his face. 

The attendees were also touched and showered Ying with thunderous applause. 

"The anti-epidemic spirit shows us that the road ahead will not be smooth, and there will be inevitably difficulties, dangers, and even rough seas. As long as we are tenacious, unrelenting, able to overcome difficulties in difficult times, and able to survive the critical moments, we will certainly write a magnificent chapter worthy of the times," Ying said.

Recalling the sacrifices made during the epidemic, Ying said that "we will always remember the great spirit and extraordinary power displayed by the heroic people of Hubei and Wuhan." 

"Locking down a city to protect the people of a country," Ying pointed out. "The people of the province understand the situation, take the big picture into consideration, stand together and help each other to build a great steel wall to fight the epidemic."

Community workers, police officers, grass-roots officials, volunteers, deliverymen, sanitary workers … all made their great sacrifices during this combat, he praised. 

A video clip of Ying in tears resonated on Chinese social media platforms. "There have never been heroes who have fallen from the sky, only mortals who have come forward," was a typical comment supported by many netizens. 

After China basically brought the virus under control furnishing a great victory, the government has honored the heroes of the fight on several occasions. A number of touching moments have circulated online from time to time. 

Social media platforms were flooded on September 8, when Zhang Dingyu, dean of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, walked to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to receive the national honorary title "the People's Hero." Zhang, who suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a rare neurological disease more commonly known at ALS, walked unsteadily but his firm expression touched netizens. "Walk slowly. Respect!" was the theme of many netizens comments.