For Ji Yuqing, a 26-year-old trader at Industrial Bank's Shanghai branch, life has never been so challenging. Memories of the moments of being on duty alone during the lockdown still linger.

He is among nearly 20,000 professionals that have been stationed in their offices to ensure the uninterrupted operations of the city's financial industry during Shanghai's COVID-19 lockdown.

So what was the nature of their office life? Let's recap some of their tense moments to get a taste.