Former Site of the Norman Bethune Model Hospital Ward

Former Site of the Norman Bethune Model Hospital Ward

The Former Site of the Norman Bethune Model Hospital Ward is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Former Site of the Norman Bethune Model Hospital Ward is located in Songyankou Village, 45 kilometers east of Wutai County, and is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. On June 17, 1938, Comrade Norman Bethune, a Canadian communist and thoracic surgery expert, came from Yan’an to Jinguanku Village, the headquarters of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, where he was appointed as the military region’s health advisor. He arrived at Songyankou Village, the location of the military region’s rear hospital, on June 19, and worked diligently for nearly four months. He personally designed and supervised the renovation of the original Dragon King Temple into a hospital ward, which was later praised by the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region Command as the “Norman Bethune Model Hospital Ward.” After Comrade Bethune’s death, Chairman Mao personally wrote the essay “In Memory of Norman Bethune.” After the liberation, a “Norman Bethune Memorial Exhibition Room” was built next to the Model Hospital Ward, which was later renamed the “Norman Bethune Memorial Hall.”

In the center of the memorial hall courtyard stands a more than six-meter-high white marble inscription tower. The front side is engraved with the full text of Chairman Mao’s “In Memory of Norman Bethune”; the left side bears the inscription by Marshal - reading, “Learn from Comrade Bethune’s proletarian internationalist revolutionary spirit and fight for the interests of people all over the world”; the right side features an inscription by Marshal Nie Rongzhen: “The great internationalist Comrade Bethune will forever be our role model”; the back side displays an inscription by - stating, “Learn from Comrade Bethune’s shining example of combining revolutionary spirit with science and technology.” The memorial hall faces east and is entered from the west. At the center of the entrance is a half-length statue of Comrade Bethune, with images and paintings on both sides depicting his work during his time there. Display cases contain precious cultural relics such as work reports, letters, and diaries submitted to the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, as well as medical instruments used at the time. To the west of the memorial hall lies the former site of the “Model Hospital Ward,” with the operating room in the center, the medical office in the left wing room, and the sterilization room in the right wing room. Opposite the operating room is the stage of the Dragon King Temple, where Bethune gave a speech during the dedication ceremony of the hospital ward. A small room to the right of the stage served as the laundry. The remaining rooms in the courtyard were all patient wards, restored and displayed as they were at the time, for visitors to pay their respects and learn about this great international communist fighter.

Norman Bethune (1890–1939), whose full name was Henry Norman Bethune, was Canadian. He graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1914. With World War I underway, he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and fought in England, France, and Belgium. Later, he returned home due to injury and continued his studies, earning a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1916. In 1917, he enlisted again, serving in the Canadian Navy and Air Force. After the war ended in 1918, he studied and interned in six Western European countries. In 1923, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. In the winter of 1928, he began working in the United States... More details about Norman Bethune++

Gengzhen Town: Gengzhen is located east of Wutai County, bordering Gaohongkou to the south, Menxianshi Township to the east, Jiangfang and Gaohongkou to the west, and Lingjing Township to the north. The township has 49 administrative villages, a population of 15,830, and 3,791 laborers. Gengzhen serves as a distribution hub for goods along the middle and upper reaches of the Qingshui River. It is also a key transportation junction in the county, with roads leading to Mount Wutai and Fuping in Hebei. The area has good forest vegetation, producing a large amount of timber annually. ... More details about Gengzhen Town++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units