Zhuang Shihua (1st L) visits a patient (2nd L) for free clinic service in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 27, 2026. Zhuang Shihua, a veteran hepatobiliary surgeon and former president of the hospital affiliated to the Xinjiang Armed Police Corps, has been in the country's far west for over five decades. His team has successfully completed more than 140,000 minimally invasive hepatobiliary surgeries, and made seven breakthroughs that filled the domestic gap in the field. Apart from clinical practice, Zhuang has cultivated a large number of key personnel, and supported grassroots medical workers who have stood firm on the front lines of public health. Zhuang's medical expertise brought him many opportunities to make a fortune, but he turned down the offers and stayed in Xinjiang. Zhuang often visited patients in the pastoral areas of Tianshan Mountains. He also provided financial assistance to over 70 underprivileged students and helped more than 690 households with patients out of poverty. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Zhuang Shihua (L) checks the ultrasound scan of a patient before a surgery at the hospital affiliated to the Xinjiang Armed Police Corps in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Zhuang Shihua talks with a patient and his family at the hospital affiliated to the Xinjiang Armed Police Corps in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

Zhuang Shihua (L) performs a surgery at the hospital affiliated to the Xinjiang Armed Police Corps in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)