Jialun Deng

They come to say “good morning” and “good night.” They tell him that spring has arrived and that the cherry blossoms are blooming. They share that they are falling in love, falling out of love or getting divorced. They send him photos of fried chicken drumsticks, his favorite snack.

They whisper that they miss him.

Li Wenliang, a doctor in the Chinese city of Wuhan, died of the coronavirus on Feb. 6 at the age of 34. More than a month before that, he went online to warn friends of the strange and deadly virus rampaging through his hospital, only to be threatened by government authorities. He became a hero in China when his warnings proved true, then a martyr when he died.

After his passing, people began to gather, virtually, at his last post on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform. In the comments section, they grieve and seek solace. Some call it China’s Wailing Wall, a reference to the Western Wall in Jerusalem where people leave written prayers in the cracks.

@小兔子的大耳朵A: 李医生，天堂是什么样子的 @小兔子的大耳朵A: Dr. Li, what is heaven like? @大大-dada: 今天我家的咪咪去世了 @大大-dada: Dr. Li, my cat died today. @福气多多吖: 李医生，樱花开了，记得来看看 @福气多多吖: Dr. Li, the cherry blossoms are blooming. Remember to check it out. @242呀: 早上好呀，李医生 请你吃个炸鸡腿🍗 @242呀: Good morning, Dr. Li. Here's a drumstick for you. 🍗 @奥杰塔Odette: 李医生，谢谢你曾尝试拯救地球 @奥杰塔Odette: Dr. Li, thank you for trying to save the world.

As the deadly virus killed tens of thousands around the world, each society will have its unique way of coping with the loss and grief. In a largely atheist yet spiritual nation with little tradition of praying, the digital Wailing Wall allows the Chinese people to share their sadness, frustration and aspirations with someone they trusted and loved.

It may be the gentlest place on the often polarizing and combative Chinese internet. People write down their thoughts and leave. They don’t argue or make accusations. When they do respond to each other, they leave digital hugs and encouragement. I cried as I read through the comments. I found the experience cathartic.

It’s a refuge for a traumatized people. Many people, I believe, feel the same way.

Dr. Li had been an avid user of Weibo, China’s rough equivalent of Twitter, since 2011. He posted his last message on Feb. 1. “Today the nucleic acid test result is positive,” he wrote of the test that confirmed he had been infected by the coronavirus. “The dust has settled, and the diagnosis is finally confirmed.” He died five days later.

Under that post, Weibo users have left more than 870,000 comments. Some people post a few times a day, telling him how their mornings, afternoons and evenings went. Only posts by China’s biggest actors and pop stars can match those numbers, but even those lack the visceral response that Dr. Li’s last post has drawn.

Users feel comfortable talking to Dr. Li. They know he will never scold them or judge them for what they say. They know, after reading his more than 2,000 posts, that he was a gentle and kind soul. He was an ordinary person just like them who enjoyed food and fun and sometimes got tired of working such a demanding job. He would understand.

@非法期望: 李医生，我喜欢上了一个女孩 @非法期望: Dr. Li, I have a crush on a girl. @至暗灯塔: 生活过得一团糟，可能不久就要离婚了 @至暗灯塔: My life is a mess. I’ll probably get divorced soon. @隔离香菇: 我好像抑郁了一样 @隔离香菇:I think I may have depression. @他-是-梦: 生活压力很大，可是又有什么比活着更好，不是吗？ @他-是-梦: Too much stress. But what is better than being alive, right? @一只放荡不羁的霹雷猫: 成都可以打麻将吃火锅了，想念你 @一只放荡不羁的霹雷猫: We can have spicy hot pot in Chengdu now. Missing you. @Juana的两只猫要和平共处: 两个多月没有工资，很怕房东打电话来催房租 @Juana的两只猫要和平共处: I haven’t been paid in more than two months. Really scared that the landlord will call. @唱唱反调唱反调: 疫情之前辞职了现在感觉找不到工作了 @唱唱反调唱反调: I quit before the epidemic broke out. Now I’m worried that I won’t be able to find a job. @ 林大1977: 由于欧美疫情的爆发，我失业了！2020实在太难了 @ 林大1977: I lost my job because of the outbreak in Europe and the U.S.! 2020 is too difficult. @毛不易未公开女友: 现在外面下着雨。我最爱的就是下雨天，因为下雨天走在雨中可以哭泣而不会被人察觉！这是我第一次告诉一个人原因，也可能是最后一次了。 @毛不易未公开女友: It’s raining now. I like the rainy days the best because I can cry in the rain and no one would notice. This is the first time I've shared this secret with anyone, and probably the last time. @关于我死亡之前要做的事儿: 手机翻来覆去没人可以聊会儿 就来看看你 和你说说吧 @关于我死亡之前要做的事儿: I played with my phone for a long time but couldn’t find anybody to talk to. So here I am. I can talk to you.

I read thousands of messages people left just on March 26, the 49th day — the seventh day of the seventh week — since Dr. Li’s death. Many Chinese believe that is the day that a person’s soul will finally leave the body and be reincarnated as a newborn.

March 26 is also when Wuhan began to allow its residents to take back the ashes of their loved ones. People queued in long lines at funeral homes. The photos triggered social media discussions of the real scope of the outbreak and the credibility of government’s official toll of Wuhan’s dead. Many of the photos were subsequently censored.

@在我最美的流年里遇见你: 李医生，评论区里有人说您可能已经是一个宝宝了，如果真的有投胎转世，希望是一个帅宝宝 @在我最美的流年里遇见你: Dr. Li, some comments said that you have probably been reborn as a baby by now. If you’re reincarnated, I hope you’ll be a good-looking baby. @揭帝波若: 都49天了吗？我觉得你在温柔地看着这个世界，你希望我们都好。你要好好照顾自己了，不许再生那么重的病。 @揭帝波若: Has it been 49 days? I feel that you're looking upon this world gently and wishing us the best. Please take good care of yourself. You're not allowed to be so sick again. @自观的猫咪: 你的亲人去领你的骨灰了吗？怀念你，再一次谢谢你 @自观的猫咪: Dr, Li, did your family go to pick up your ashes? Miss you, and thanks again. @去年夏天: 李医生啊，为啥连领骨灰的微博也要删掉？你说通过这次疫情是不是啥也没学到 @去年夏天: Dr. Li, why were the Weibo posts about taking back loved ones’ ashes deleted? Have we learned nothing from this outbreak? What would you say? @悲伤与理性: 李医生，今天好像你们医院有一名医生去世了，不知道掌权者还坐不坐得住？ @悲伤与理性: It seems that another doctor in your hospital died today. How can the people in power sit so securely?

Because many people see him as an ordinary person wronged by the authorities and as a hero who stood up to power, they come to him to express their frustration that justice and righteousness haven’t prevailed.

They are angry that only two police officers have been punished for reprimanding him. Many believe the police were acting on orders from higher up.

They also share their relief that China’s lockdowns appear to be nearing an end, their distrust of the official news and their lingering fear of the pandemic.

@大猪佩奇: 只要一想到武汉人民所遭受的一切痛苦和伤害，眼泪就不止不住往下掉 @大猪佩奇: I can’t keep my tears from falling every time I think of all the suffering and trauma Wuhan people have endured. @护士黄菊: 对你的调查报告，总有一天，会让人民重写 @护士黄菊: The day will come when the people can rewrite the investigation report of your case. @雅琴仙纸: 李医生，武汉马上解封了，解封了，解封了 @雅琴仙纸: Dr. Li, the lockdown is ending in Wuhan! It’s ending! It’s ending! @-方艺鸣-: 我是听说这里什么都可以说，我也来签个到 @-方艺鸣-: I heard this is the only place on the Chinese internet where you can say anything. So here I am. @鹿鸣小馆李子: 媒体每天都是好消息唉，文亮兄媒体有没有可信度啊？ @鹿鸣小馆李子: The media is full of good news. Brother Wenliang, do you believe the media? @鱼阿东: 李医生，你能告诉我现在疫情的真实情况吗？ @鱼阿东: Dr. Li, can you tell me the real situation of the outbreak now? @慕灵诺: 国外疫情很严重，希望他们能平安度过 @慕灵诺: The outbreak is very serious abroad. I hope they can get over it safely. @落卡落卡落: 有的地方一线医护的补助发下来又被收上去，真的寒心。我是医科大学大一学生，有点想放弃了 @落卡落卡落: In some places the subsidies for front-line medical workers were distributed then taken back. I’m very disappointed. I am a first-year medical student. I kind of want to give up. @凤凰涅槃--绽放的生命: 希望背后的人可以得到应有的惩罚！ 希望这里允许真话发声！ 希望你的家人们可以得到照顾！ @凤凰涅槃--绽放的生命: Hope the people behind this will receive due punishment! Hope we can speak the truth here! Hope your family will be taken care of!

Some people complain that the comments are censored, an allegation that is difficult to prove. They worry that his Weibo account could be deleted, just like many others. Then, they will lose the only place they can take a break from a world that has been turned upside down.

They watch warily and helplessly as the pandemic spreads to many parts of the world and the two super powers, China and the United States, engage in reckless and meaningless diplomatic squabbles. Like people everywhere, they don’t know how this is going to end.

But most people just want to tell him that they miss him and wish him the best in the next world.