Introduction to the Documentary

In rural China, where serious illness can impose a crippling financial burden on farming families, ready access to effective healthcare can make a vital difference to the quality of life. This documentary follows Zhong Liping, a young woman who, after medical school, returned to her home village, Yanyin in China’s remote southwest, to become the village doctor. There she cares for nearly 2,000 residents, many of them elderly. 

Under China’s family doctor program, launched nationwide in 2016, services including chronic disease follow-ups and elderly care have been extended into rural communities. For Zhong, this means conducting regular home visits and providing health education in the dialects of the village’s ethnic Lahu, Hani and Dai residents, who speak little or no Mandarin. To many of her elderly patients, she has become almost like a daughter.

This is the story of one of around a million village doctors across China who, by safeguarding rural communities’ health, are helping to protect families from falling back into poverty.

Introduction to CGTN

China Global Television Network (CGTN) was launched on December 31, 2016. As the international broadcasting arm of China Media Group, it delivers content through six television channels, more than 30 radio stations, an international video news agency and a digital network operating in 85 languages.

With its headquarters in Beijing, CGTN has three production centers – in Nairobi, London and Washington D.C. – along with 24 local studios covering every continent. Its international production team includes professionals from over 70 countries.

Reflecting its slogan, "See the Difference", CGTN aims to deliver comprehensive and timely reporting from diverse perspectives, with the goal of presenting an honest and multifaceted view of China while covering international affairs in an objective, impartial and unbiased manner.

Director's Profile

Hou Li is a documentary director with CGTN's English-language channel. A graduate of the Communication University of China, she specializes in telling the stories of ordinary people. Her work has earned recognition in China and internationally.

The short documentary series The Light Within Us, for which she served as chief director, was a finalist in the Heroes category at the 2025 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards and won a gold award at the 20th annual w3 Awards. Her documentary Green China won a bronze medal in the Nature category at the Telly Awards.