Young CPC delegate saving lives in poor villages

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There are close to 90 million members in the Communist Party of China. The vast majority of them are ordinary people working at the most basic level. A select group will attend this year’s party congress as delegates, in recognition of their outstanding contributions in service of the people. One of those delegates is a doctor who has been treating people in poor villages of Daning County in north China’s Shanxi Province.

People call He Xinglong "the motorbike doctor." At the age of 37, he’s been working as a doctor in the village of Letang for seventeen years, and he's on call 24 hours every day. He’s the only doctor serving the over 4,000 people in 28 different villages.

He Xinglong checking on an elderly patient in her house. /CGTN Photo

“Every time I treat a villager, I feel so happy. Although I haven’t made much money, I’ve won the hearts of so many villagers here. I feel so good every day when I’m driving my motorbike," He Xionglong said.

Zhang Helian, a villager in the county, says Xinglong saved her life once when she was seriously ill. “When I heard the sound of a motorcycle, I knew it was Xinglong coming to check me and I felt I wouldn’t die," she said.

Many villagers say whenever they call him, he always comes riding a motorbike, even in the wind and rain. /CGTN Photo

The Daning county is located in the remote mountainous area on the Loess Plateau in north China. Riding on the bumpy roads is never easy, not to mention in harsh weather, meaning Xinglong often gets injured. In his early days, he even had to walk along cliffs and cross rivers. Once he nearly died after he fell off a mountain in the snow.

But Xinglong never feels it’s too much work. “I’ve never felt it’s hard. I feel everything is just normal. I lived through some tough times with my parents in the past. I grew up in harsh conditions. I feel like these difficulties are nothing for me,” he said.

Xinglong is riding on newly built roads in the mountains every day. /CGTN Photo

Daning is a national-level area stricken with poverty. Most young people have left to find work elsewhere, leaving many elderly people in the villages to fend for themselves. Those without children are forced to live off government aid.

Xinglong has treated many of his patients free of charge. Sometimes he even buys them basic supplies. Many see Xinglong as their own child, and say they can’t live without him.

Xinglong used to climb mountains to see his patients. /CGTN Photo

“He’s done more than our own son. We count on him for our health and our lives," Feng Jianzhong, another villager said.

Xionglong doesn’t have much money for his family. He once thought about leaving for the big cities so he can earn more, but he hasn’t. He’s never forgotten the time when people in the poor village where he grew up pooled their money to pay for his medical education.

Villager patients always feel happy when they see Xinglong. /CGTN Photo

“When I saw the thick pile of loose change, I wept. Some fellow villagers tapped my shoulder, encouraging me to study hard. I must come back and pay them back for their kindness,” he said.

He Xinglong officially became a member of China's Communist Party nine years ago and it's encouraged him to stick to his work and do more for his fellow villagers. As time goes by, Xinglong says he's become emotionally attached to the villagers and now it's hard to leave them.

Xinglong can never forget how his fellow villagers helped him for education. /CGTN Photo

“It’s a kind of emotional bond between me and my fellow villagers. They can’t live without me and neither can I live without them,” he said.

Xinglong felt thrilled to become a Party member. He’s taken on more responsibility, and has decided to stay in the mountains for the rest of his life.

Xinglong is also responsible for giving vaccinations to babies. /CGTN Photo

“No matter how harsh the conditions are, I will stay here. With greater expectation from the villagers comes great responsibility. I’d rather die here than anywhere else,” he said.