China: Rural doctor devotes decades to safeguarding the health of an entire village
Wang Ju prepares herbal medicine in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026. Wang Ju, a 59-year-old village doctor in Lianghe Village of Lianghekou Town in Zigui County, has spent nearly four decades providing health care for the entire village, despite standing just 1.28 meters tall and weighing only 32 kilograms due to dwarfism.
In his youth, he was cared for by fellow villagers, which inspired him to study medicine and give back to his community. After graduating from a health school, he returned to the village to take on basic medical care and health services.
Homes in Lianghe Village are scattered across the mountains and roads are rugged. Initially, Wang made house calls barely on foot. Later he commissioned a specially downsized motorcycle with a frame only 50 centimeters high, tailored to his stature.
Over the past 38 years, Wang has made over 6,000 home visits, with four such motorcycles and more than 100 pairs of shoes worn out. For him, being a doctor is not just a profession, but a daily commitment to safeguarding the health of the people who once took care of him. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju prepares herbal medicine at the clinic in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju (L) delivers medicine to a household in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju (R) talks to a villager in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju cooks at the clinic in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju prepares herbal medicine at the clinic in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju (L) talks to a villager on his way to make home visits and deliver medicine in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju prepares herbal medicine at the clinic in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju (R) explains medication instructions to a patient at the clinic in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju poses for a photo in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju (L) talks to a villager at the villager’s home in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju (R) takes a villager’s blood pressure at the villager’s home in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)
Wang Ju is on his way to make home visits and deliver medicine in Lianghe Village, Lianghekou Town, Zigui County of Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, Aug. 15, 2026.
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260819/3056db5ba6934c27baaac055f4a9a386/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
