NPC Deputy Zhang Junjie: From healing hearts to speaking for the people

Over the past year, Zhang Junjie, a deputy to the National People's Congress, has moved between remote clinics and global stages.

As a cardiologist and vice president of the Nanjing First Hospital in east China's Jiangsu Province, Zhang traveled repeatedly to northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, helping build sustainable local cardiac teams. He also journeyed to Cambodia, visiting Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville to treat children with congenital heart disease and expand medical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

At home, Zhang led the world's first randomized trial using a Chinese-developed self-expanding valve for aortic regurgitation, with results soon to be presented internationally — another step in taking a Chinese solution to the world.

As China's annual Two Sessions approach, Zhang turns his focus to healthcare reform. As an NPC deputy, he plans to advocate for a more balanced evaluation system for medical professionals, one that allows clinicians to develop according to their strengths and real-world practice, and ensures both basic research and clinical research can drive meaningful innovation. (Photos via Xiandai Kuaibao, Yangzi Wanbao)