LAI LINYUAN, a steamed bun shop operator in Nanshan District, never expected that one message he left at the WeChat account of Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission would save his small business, and his story has encouraged many other small businesses affected by the COVID resurgence last month, Nanfang Plus reported yesterday.

Lai, 25, came to Shenzhen in 2019 to operate a steamed bun shop, which brought ideal income for Lai’s family at the beginning. Unexpectedly, the COVID epidemic struck the next year and Lai’s business took a sharp turn for the worse.

His small business struggled for two years until March this year. One day in March, Lai heard that Chaguang Village, where his shop is located, would enter a lockdown. Facing unprecedented despair, he left a message on the WeChat account of the city’s health commission, expressing his desperation for life and desire to leave Shenzhen.

“I have never had so strong a desire to leave the city; as a breadwinner, I had seen no income since March 1, I just collapsed,” the man said in his message.

The next morning, a message from the WeChat account gave Lai new hope. “Please leave your phone number and the community will contact you,” it said.

Liao Zhikang, Secretary of the Party committee of Shuguang Community in Nanshan District, called him to learn more about his dilemma. Liao said Lai can keep his shop open on the premise of doing a good job in epidemic prevention and control.

Since then, Sister Zhang, a staff member of Shuguang Community, contacted Lai frequently to offer help. “Sister Zhang’s help makes me feel warm. In Shenzhen, a young city, as long as you don’t stop fighting, you will see hope!” Lai said.

Three years of COVID have affected many small and micro-sized enterprises like Lai’s, but most of them have grown tenaciously in the “battle for survival” through their own efforts and the assistance of the government and all sectors of society, the Nanfang Plus report said.

On March 25, the Nanshan District Government issued 18 special support measures for enterprises affected by the epidemic in seven categories, offering rent relief subsidy, financial assistance, cross-border logistics, and science and technology support. So far, nearly 1 billion yuan (US$ 155 million) of enterprise relief funds have been spent.

The support policies cover not only large key enterprises and innovative enterprises, but also small and micro-sized enterprises, responding to calls enterprises are most concerned about.

Government departments also improved their efficiency in relief fund approval to make sure that enterprises can benefit as soon as possible.

After learning about the policies, Lai submitted relevant application materials to his community and soon received a rent subsidy of 2,500 yuan (US$390), which was a timely help for the small-business operator.

After learning about Lai’s story, Meituan Group, China’s leading e-commerce service platform, also helped Lai to open an online shop.

More people paid attention to Lai’s shop. Some came to his shop, saying they just wanted to buy anything on offer. One time, a customer just paid 100 yuan without buying anything to show his support. Many left messages on his online shop to encourage him.

The most impressive message was “There is always hope when you keep going forward,” left by an anonymous netizen.

Lai wants to give back to society by donating 500 yuan to Shanghai Red Cross after knowing COVID is wreaking havoc in Shanghai.

“I have been warmed by the society and now I want to warm others in need,” he told Nangfang Plus.

(Windy Shao)