Observing the plague every day often rewrites human history, but it is not arbitrary.

　　● Talk about the COVID-19 epidemic and the "great change that has never happened in a hundred years"

　　In the past few days, it has been worrying to see Italy, Europe and the world. The COVID-19 epidemic is spreading rapidly around the world, which is a major disaster affecting the whole world. No matter in which continent or country, the lives lost due to illness are regrettable and sad.

　　China has stepped out of the most difficult stage in fighting the epidemic. This is not Covid-19’s leniency towards Chinese — — But because China mobilized the whole country to fight the epidemic, and resolutely implemented a set of anti-epidemic measures that proved to be in line with China’s reality and scientific laws.

　　The COVID-19 epidemic will profoundly change the world today and be written into human history in a heavy way. It is on the rampage, but in the face of appropriate, powerful and tenacious response, it will also temporarily decline and retreat.

　　This conforms to the law that has been presented for thousands of years — — Plague often rewrites human history, but it is not arbitrary.

　　In a sense, the history of the development of human civilization is the history of constantly fighting against epidemics. Infectious diseases are the product of the interaction between microorganisms and human beings. For thousands of years, plague has been entangled with human society too much. From the results, there are at least three ways to present:

　　One is to brutally hurt people and kill them. Before human society entered industrial civilization, the lethality of plague was extremely amazing — — Whether in ancient Greece, Rome, or medieval Europe, or in the American continent and Asian continent where early colonists set foot. A plague can last for dozens, hundreds, hundreds of years, or even destroy the country, or take away 30% to 40% of the lives of a continent.

　　The second is to become a force to change the direction of civilization. Plague broke out during the Peloponnesian War, which caused heavy losses to ancient Greek civilization. Plague once shook the foundation of the Roman Empire. The Black Death plunged medieval Europe into darkness. Smallpox once landed with the colonial fleet and merchant fleet and disturbed the American continent. Cholera traveled to many continents in the 19th century, which caused a sudden loss of national strength of many powerful countries.

　　Third, human beings are constantly creating new civilizations in the struggle against the plague. It is recorded in the History of Han Ping Di Ji that in the second year of Yuan Dynasty, "people who suffer from diseases and epidemics give up their empty houses to buy medicine", which is the law of "isolation". Europe also uses isolation and quarantine to fight the Black Death. China used human pox to prevent smallpox in the Ming Dynasty. After entering industrial civilization, antibiotics, vaccines, etc. have gradually entered the battlefield. In the past century, it is in the unremitting struggle against the plague that many international organizations and institutions related to public health have been established.

　　One hundred years ago, at the end of World War I, the Spanish pandemic broke out. This epidemic disease is named after a place name, which is no longer in line with today’s international practice. It was just an established practice that year, leaving a helpless mark. Today, in the rules of the World Health Organization, it has been clearly stated that diseases should not be named after place names. Since the second world war, human beings have suffered many epidemics that spread all over the world. Fortunately, the degree of injury is not an order of magnitude before industrial civilization. It is not because the virus has weakened, but because human means have become stronger.

　　Every time there is a global epidemic, no matter how tortuous the process is, in the final analysis, it is to fight two things — — First, science and technology, which is the ultimate weapon to win; The second is the ability of social organization, which is the key to control the epidemic, reduce losses and win time for scientists.

　　Covid-19 is a fierce public enemy of mankind. It is secretive and cunning. How lethal it is has not yet peaked. At present, the outbreak caused by it is not only fatal and harmful, but also beyond the scope of biological damage to life, and is bringing great impact on global economy, politics and social life, and profoundly affecting the whole world pattern.

　　In recent years, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader has repeatedly expounded a major judgment — — "The world is facing a great change that has never happened in a hundred years". In particular, he stressed the need to focus on this "big change", focus on preventing and resolving major risks, and pay attention to turning crises into opportunities. In January 2018, at the opening ceremony of the seminar on studying and implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he listed 16 specific risks in eight aspects, among which it was mentioned that "major infectious diseases like SARS should always be vigilant and strictly guarded".

　　Under the general judgment that "the world is facing a great change that has never happened in a hundred years", in recent years, many people from all walks of life have understood and analyzed it, and most of them have started from the rapid development of scientific and technological revolution, the historical decline of western centralism, the accelerated growth of emerging forces, and the major challenges faced by global governance. Undoubtedly, these are all components of the rich connotation of the "great change".

　　Too many people didn’t expect that at the first moment when mankind entered the 1920s, Covid-19 was killed in Xiecili, and the epidemic suddenly broke out and spread all over the world. Many countries with serious epidemics have to do their best to fight it. The public health emergency response capacity of all countries, as well as the organization and mobilization capacity of the whole country, has been tested. The world economy, which is already under downward pressure and transformation pressure, has also sharply increased uncertainties.

　　Virus risk, epidemic risk and governance risk are intertwined. It can be said that the "great change in a hundred years" is showing its realistic complexity and full historical depth from the perspective of outbreak and resistance to the pandemic.

　　When we want to consolidate the domestic anti-epidemic achievements and try our best to support the global anti-epidemic, when we "sum up experience and learn lessons" in time and constantly improve the national governance system and governance capacity, there is no doubt that we should stand on the height of understanding that the world is facing a great change in a hundred years, full of self-confidence and sense of urgency, and make thinking, planning and launching actions.

　　(Wen Wei special commentator Yang Wei)