Screenshots of video clips Qin and his team collected to reflect the impact of the epidemic on people's lives. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Some people who once had tense relationships with their families have chosen to make peace, he recalls from some of the clips.

"We've been used to seeing fabricated, and even exaggerated, expression of emotions in films," Qin says. "However, the true emotions among families are sometimes only reflected in simple greetings and chores, which were often neglected, but they have much stronger power."

Sentimental moments keep popping up when he edits the clips, especially from those by residents in Wuhan, Hubei's provincial capital and the epicenter of the epidemic which is on lockdown.

"We tend to check the updated number of new cases and deaths every day," a young woman surnamed Ding says in her clip. "But it is heartbreaking when I suddenly realize there is a life behind each number, and some of them are my family friends or friends' families."

Someone also left a message on Ding's Instagram account to blame her as somebody from Wuhan, which makes her feel stigmatized, and deeply sad. However, many encouraging messages from strangers also cheered her up.

In another clip, a Wuhan-based vlogger abruptly stops talking after a simple greeting, though she seemed ready to launch into a monologue.

"Forget it," she says to the camera, "let's just have a look at what Wuhan is like at 2 am."

Then, without another word, she sets her camera to face out of the window at the quiet city with its scattered lights.

Other videos show how experts and supplies arrive in Wuhan, bringing greater hope, while footage offered by police officers, medical workers, and even patients in makeshift hospitals, reveal their strength and optimism.