A photograph capturing a two-year-old recovered coronavirus patient bowing in respect to a nurse outside a hospital in east China has tugged at the heartstrings of Chinese netizens, with many digging out a similar picture between a young patient and their caregiver from a century ago.

The child had been receiving treatment for COVID-19 at a hospital in the city of Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province. After achieving full recovery and as he was escorted outside the facility, he bowed to his nurse, Cao Lingling, as a way to thank her for being next to him during his treatment period. The medical worker returned the gesture.

The moment was captured by Cao's colleague and shared online, racking up thousands of shares and comments about the respect between patients and doctors amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

"Children, sometimes, express their emotions in a simple way but it can touch people. The bow speaks of the gratitude and the nurse's response shows her responsibility," one Weibo user wrote.

The bow is reminiscent of a similar move that was immortalized on film from a century ago. A toddler also bowed to Dr. David Duncan Main, who was the director of Hangzhou Guangji Hospital, when he was making ward rounds. Dr. Main bowed in return. Some Chinese media described the recent gesture as "a bow across a century."

Cao told a local news outlet that patients are like her own children.

By February 17, over 32,000 medical staff had been sent to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, according to health authorities. A total of 77,779 cases have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus in China, according to latest data, with 27,323 recovered patients.