Anthony Que, a teacher from the U.S. who started to work in Lanzhou City, the capital of northwest China’s Gansu Province, since the beginning of last year, expressed his confidence in China’s ability to prevail over COVID-19, along with his hope to always stay in China, Chinanews.com reported on Feb.6.

Photo shows Anthony Que (R) and his donation of medical supplies he brought all the way from Miami, Florida, in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Que)

The 56-year-old came to work at Lanzhou University at the height of the COVID-19 epidemic last year. He travelled all the way from Miami in the U.S. with a valuable gift in hand for the First Hospital of Lanzhou University – a supply of personal protective equipment.

He said that since the onset of the epidemic, China quickly addressed the weaknesses of the healthcare sector. The country’s endeavors throughout the year has made him confident that the country would overcome the epidemic. He also voiced his readiness to work as a volunteer at the hospital, if needed.

Que was a clinical pharmacist in the U.S. before he retired. With TEFL certificates, including one for teaching TOEFL preparation, he now teaches spoken English and has opened a course on medical English at Lanzhou University, hoping to enable his students to better comprehend foreign medical literature and communicate with foreign colleagues.

He is also frequently invited to give lectures in various places throughout the province because of his rich experience and professional skills in the medical field.

His reason for choosing Lanzhou, instead of some of the most developed cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, is that as one of the major cities situated along the ancient Silk Road and along today’s Belt and Road, Lanzhou has a huge unmet potential and a promising future. Living in a city with a slower and more relaxed pace of life helps him better focus on teaching, too.

Anthony Que giving a lecture at Lanzhou University. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Que)

He loves exploring his new life in the city, all despite the language barrier. The sports-lover smiled gleefully when recounting his experience of haggling in the local market only with the aid of a translation application on his smartphone, having successfully made a purchase of sports equipment at half the price one might expect in the U.S.

He enjoys Lanzhou beef noodles, a well-known local delicacy, and hopes to one day try hot pot, too. After travelling to 102 countries in all, he hopes to now always stay in China, if possible.