LPL FIGHTING

Seeing EDG, RNG and Team WE compete on their home turf has long been a dream of mine. The chants are intoxicating — the team names screamed to the ceiling are matched with replies of “Jia You” (加油, Fighting).

Viola and her boyfriend Jack watch the VODs of the Chinese broadcast at night with me, echoing the crowd in unison on the integrated Point of Sale computer that also doubles as their entertainment and gaming. Both of them attend college nearby when they’re not working, although I have no idea how. Their journey takes nearly two hours in each direction, and between working full time at the store and gaming at night, I’m not actually sure when they attend classes. But this is their way, they say. They must work hard so they can get good jobs; she in International Business, he in Engineering. They both regularly attend the International Language Cafe across the street to practise English and interact with foreigners.

Being a white guy with a beard and a suit in China is a super power. However difficult the environment became, the more that China stepped up.

One of the western teams had asked me to bring an external hard drive for them to transfer interview footage, but mine broke in transit. I’d tried, unsuccessfully, to buy one, and after ten minutes trying to explain to Viola and Jack what I needed, Jack motioned to his electric scooter, and started loading my equipment onto it. And off we went through the streets of Wuhan, with 50lbs of camera gear wherever it would fit.

Just casually scooting. Nothing to see here.

A favor from a new friend is nice, but after getting to the store, the owner explained to Jack that he didn’t have any, but he knew somewhere who did.

So he closed the store, locked it up, got on his electric scooter, and motioned for us to follow. Down some more back streets, across a main road, down an alley, and another, and another. I’d never have found this on my own. But this stranger put a hold on his livelihood to make sure I got what I needed.

This was not an isolated incident. Trying to get a SIM card that would work with my phone was similarly saved by the kindness of locals. When none of their SIMs worked, a cashier at China Mobile tried her personal SIM in my phone, and walked me to three different competing stores to explain to them what I needed, at a total round trip of just under a mile. In 100 degree heat. And 90% humidity.

What do you think the reaction would be if a Chinese tourist with near-zero English walked into T-Mobile?

I did nothing to deserve the kindness that the people of Wuhan visited upon me, and I will forever be grateful to each and every one of them who gave up something to help me.