It was supposed to be a happy holiday in Paris for Zhang Lingfei and her friend, but what was supposed to be an exciting occasion was marred with fear and terror as the terrorist group Islamic State launched several coordinated attacks in the City of Lights last Friday, Nov. 13.
Zhang and her friend, who were both taking classes in neighboring Britain, came too close for comfort as they dined in an eatery close to one of the restaurants the terrorist group attacked.
"When one of the staff at the restaurant told us that there was a shooting in the nearby restaurant, we were not very scared at first," Zhang shared in an interview with China Daily.
"But through the window, I saw many people running very rapidly along the road," she added. "Some ran into the nearest store or restaurant. We suddenly realized that the situation was severe, then we backed away from the window immediately and went to the ground floor with other customers and staff."
Zhang said that they hid inside and heard loud bangs, which she believed to be gunshots. "We were very nervous since we encountered such a situation for the first time," she said.
To avoid catching the attention of the attackers, Zhang said that the restaurant staff decided to turn off the lights to give the impression that the establishment was closed.
"We don't know how long we hid in this restaurant," Zhang said. "Then as there were more and more police outside, we got out."
Several other Chinese holidaymakers had their own accounts of the attacks that shook Paris.
"We heard lots of sounds of police and ambulances on the way from the restaurant to our hotel, Hotel Mercure," said Liu Zheng, who was part of a 1,200-person tour organized by Pro-Health (China), a healthcare product company.