China's microtia breakthrough: Ear reconstruction, hope for children

Each year in China, about 2,500 babies are born with incomplete ears. For these children, appearance often becomes an emotional burden, while parents struggle with guilt, anxiety and the desperate search for solutions.

In response, Chinese surgeons now perform nearly ten times more microtia – the term for the congenital deformity – procedures annually than their European counterparts, driving both clinical expertise and health care innovation.

Through CGTN's lens, we witness how Chinese medical teams are pioneering homegrown ear reconstruction technology, bringing new hope to countless families affected by microtia.

Chinese doctors have transformed the traditional three-stage ear reconstruction into a two-stage procedure, halving treatment time while improving success rates. With millimeter-level precision in rib cartilage sculpting, surgeons can now recreate ears that look and feel remarkably natural. 

Waking up from surgery and seeing themselves in the mirror, children believe "they are now normal," says Dr Guo Shuzhong, chief specialist in ear reconstruction surgery at United Family Healthcare who has worked tirelessly for 40 years to perfect his technique. 

This breakthrough has become a powerful symbol of China's medical innovation and its continuous contributions to global health. Patients from across the globe are traveling to China, benefiting not only by the advanced techniques practiced here but also the compassion that guides its care.

On this journey of healing that crosses mountains, oceans and cultures, China's medical expertise is helping patients worldwide embrace brighter futures.

Executive Producer: Zhang Jingwen

Producer: Yang Sha

Directors: Zhang Yuying, Chen Chen

Editors: Zhang Yuying, Chen Chen, Ruan Lingbo

Videographers: Wang Hongjie, Liu Xinchao, Ding Qi

Cover Image Designer: Zhang Xueying