Performers interact with tourists at Happy Valley amusement park in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, on Jan 1, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Residents of Wuhan, a city hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, have seen their lives return to normal, ABC News has reported.

The broadcast network recently sent a team of reporters to Wuhan to experience the city on their own.

They saw middle-aged square dancers gather on the banks of the Yangtze River at night, children watching sea animals at East Lake Ocean Park and residents flock to street food stands at the famous Hubu Lane.

"A genuine sense of gratitude and pride" permeates through the city, the report said.

"It's back to the normal state of life as before," Hu Bei, a Wuhan resident and businesswoman, told ABC News. "The main thing I can say is I really feel the strength of our country, the strength of our unity, the concern our government had for the people and that allowed us to quickly rise out of the deep water...And for that, I am very proud to be born as a Chinese person."
"Apart from people wearing masks, I would say no, there is no difference from last year before the pandemic," 25-year-old Wuhan resident Ye Jialin told ABC News. "Because we've all gone through such a huge social calamity, I have seen the clear sense of responsibility the government has shown us common people."