Xiao Hou has pictures of cuisine stored in his smart-phone's photo library, like, a bowl of spicy noodles with a fried egg, two roasted chicken breasts, dumplings and stuffed buns.

The snapshots are not of highly recommended restaurants in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, but rather reminders of his unforgettable experience in the city where he received those homemade foods, which were shared by locals during his stay in Wuhan that began with the city's lockdown on Jan. 23.

After arriving in Wuhan on Dec. 28, last year, on a business trip, Hou, a 24-year-old Shandong native and also a staff member of Chengdu Meihua Food and Catering Company, planned to head to Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, on Jan. 27, the third day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

"I have never experienced a lockdown in my life before. It has lasted for so many days," he recalled.

On the sixth day following the lockdown, when people could still go for walks in their communities, Hou burst into tears when he unexpectedly heard the Chinese National Anthem on the street while residents roared out of their apartment windows:"Wuhan, stay strong!"

"At that moment, I decided not to stay at the dormitory any longer, as I was eager to do something for the city," the young man said.

Between Feb. 7 and 29, Hou, at the recommendation of his friend in Wuhan, was brought on as a volunteer at the Global Logistic Properties (GLP), which is owned by the Alibaba conglomerate in the city's suburban Caidian District. Since all transportation was suspended during the lockdown, the man pedaled for three and a half hours to reach the park, traveling 35 kilometers.

With free accommodation and two meals a day, he was tasked with categorizing packs received for the urban supermarkets of Tmall, Alibaba's major retailing sales channel for both online and offline businesses.

The food provided, usually consisting of Chinese cabbages and carrots as well as some meat every other day, didn't make Hou feel uneasy. And he wasn't overwhelmed by loneliness and fear either, because, as he said, he lived for more than just himself.

"I serve others, helping them to feel less frightened and get accustomed to being isolated at home. That is why I sent them pictures of food through a WeChat group chat," he explained.

According to Hou, people in Wuhan are hospitable and warm-hearted. On many occasions, they spoke to the medical personnel whom they are deeply indebted to.

"However," he recalled, "I can still remember a nurse telling a local man that every Chinese person belongs to one big family. Of course, the family members should help each other; otherwise, how could a person call themselves Chinese."

On March 7, Hou returned to the Wuhan community he had lived in and volunteered again to work as a nightshift gatekeeper.

"The residents immediately thought of me when they had any problems," he recalled, "and in return, they sent me noodles and dumplings, probably knowing I'm a northern man [who is used to staple foods made of flour rather than rice]."

On April 8, Wuhan lifted outbound travel restrictions, putting an end to the lockdown. However, Hou said he would continue to work as a volunteer. Volunteer numbers have dropped sharply since the city opened back up, but Hou does not plan leave until late April.

"My grandfather encouraged me, saying that a volunteer is only good so long as they find a way to contribute to their country," the young man said, adding that he wanted to assure his family not to worry about him as he has been well in Wuhan.

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