The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted lives. Rapper Li Yijie wants to cheer people up and bolster their spirits, especially those who are from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, the center of the outbreak, with his latest song, Wuhan, Stay Strong.

A member of a rap group from Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, CD Rev, or Chengdu Revolution, Li, whose stage name is Pissy, wrote the song within a few hours during the afternoon of Jan 27 at his home in Chengdu.

After being released by People's Daily via its Sina Weibo platform, a popular social media platform in China, on Jan 29, the video of the song has been viewed nearly 10 million times. The three-member hip-hop group also has about 100,000 followers on Sina Weibo.

The song starts with a patient expressing his gratitude to the doctors and nurses who treated him in the hospital. The lyrics go: "When disaster befalls the entire world, anxiety clouds our minds. Lots of voices make you confused and fear makes you weak. Remember to pull yourself together and believe in kindness. White angels do their best to guard our lives and there are many people working so hard to contribute…We are together; do not give up."

The music video shows pictures of doctors and nurses working day and night in the hospitals. It also shows the construction of a hospital located on the outskirts of Wuhan, which was built in a matter of days.

Some viewers have commented on how impressed they are by the group's response to the outbreak. Others say the song is encouraging and has given them the strength to face the ongoing situation.

"This is our first song of 2020, which we want to dedicate to Chinese people facing the crisis," Li says in a phone call with China Daily.

It was the group's leader, singer-songwriter Wang Zixin, who first initiated the idea of writing the song.

"While we spent our holiday at home, there were lots of doctors and nurses working long hours to treat the patients. When I watch news about them, I am deeply touched and we want to show our respect to them," Wang says.

Li believes that "we all have our own duties with our jobs".

"Doctors treat patients, policemen maintain social order, and for us, we communicate with our music," Li says.

"We rap about the way we look at the world and what we think."

Li adds that he has never been to Wuhan, but because of the outbreak, he, like many, follows the news and cares deeply about the city and its people.

"People are positive and try their best to make their lives better. They are finding ways to keep themselves busy within the confines of their homes," Li says.

"Everyone is trying hard to get through this unusual and difficult situation."

With an average age of 25, the group, consisting of Li, Wang and Luo Jinhui, has released a dozen songs since it was founded in 2015.

Wang, who graduated from Sichuan University of Media and Communications, had the idea of forming the rap group with like-minded friends.

In 2016, the group released This Is China, showing their love for the country, rapping about issues such as air pollution, food safety and corruption.

Li, who graduated as an English major from Sichuan Normal University, wrote the lyrics ofThis Is China in English since the group wanted to directly communicate with foreign audiences in the four-minute song. The video of the song has been viewed more than 10 million times.

Last October, the group collaborated with veteran Chinese singer Li Guyi, adding a rap element to the popular Chinese song, Me and My Motherland, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"When we first started out as a hip-hop group, we didn't want to be like many other rappers, who sing with explicit lyrics. Hip-hop culture is often associated with negative things like drugs and violence, however, we want to make a difference," says Wang.

"Young Chinese rappers can write in a unique style, telling stories about their daily lives, which can be so cool."

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