Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ－ｔｏ－Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ Ｗａｒｍｓ Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ’ｓ Ｈｅａｒｔｓ

—Sidelights on China-DPRK Panglin Bringing Light Tour and China-Cambodia Friendship Bringing Light Tour

The year 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Korea (DPRK) Friendship Association (CKFA) and the DPRK-China Friendship Association (DPRK- CFA)， and also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia. To celebrate these events and express the Chinese people’s profound friendly sentiments towards the people of the two countries， the CPAFFC organized the China- DPRK Panglin Bringing Light Tour and the China-Cambodia Friendship Bringing Light Tour respectively in September and November 2008， and sent famous oculists from the Beijing Tongren Hospital to perform about 150 free cataract extraction operations for the local cataract patients of the two countries. I was privileged to take part in the two Bringing Light Tours and personally experienced the profound friendship between the people of China and those of the DPRK and Cambodia.

The Most Precious Birthday Present

During the China-DPRK Panglin Bringing Light Tour， the Chinese doctors successfully performed operations on 50 Korean cataract patients. There were many touching stories during the tour， among which one story about a Korean girl left the deepest impression on me. Suffering from congenital cataract， since childhood the girl could not see clearly what her parents looked like， let alone the colourful world. Just before the operation， the girl suddenly said that it was her 16th birthday that day， and thanked the Chinese doctors for giving her the operation. Upon hearing this， the doctors and nurses around her were very happy. They expressed that it had a particular significance to perform the operation on the girl on her birthday， and comforted her by assuring that they would certainly cure her eyes. With concerted efforts of the doctors and nurses， the operation was very successful. When she got off the operating table， she thanked the doctors and nurses time and again. Though at that time the girl could not see their faces， in her heart， these doctors and nurses from China were the most beautiful angels in white.

After the operation， accompanied by her mother the girl came back to the hospital for a check. Wang Ningli， vice president of the Beijing Tongren Hospital， personally gave the girl a checkup， and congratulated her after the checkup. The girl’s mother was deeply moved and thanked the Chinese doctors and nurses many times. Upon taking leave， the girl uncovered the gauze on her eyes to see the doctor who performed surgery on her. When she saw the doctor， she took the hands of the doctor and began to cry before uttering a word. She said with emotion that this was the most precious birthday present she had ever received. In the future every time she celebrated her birthday， she would remember the angels in white from China. The doctors and nurses gave the girl souvenirs they had prepared for her and wished her good health and happiness in the future. The girl and her mother were so moved that they expressed thanks again and again and were reluctant to leave the hospital.

Patients’ Family Members Serving as Volunteers

During the China-Cambodia Friendship Bringing Light Tour， the Chinese doctors performed about 100 cataract extraction operations for Cambodian patients. There were many patients， most of whom came from the provinces around Phnom Penh. As their homes were a bit far from Phnom Penh， some of the patients felt anxious and hoped to have operations done soon. When seeing the waiting room was a bit in disorder， a girl who accompanied her grandmother to see the doctor asked the doctors and nurses to let her serve as a volunteer to help keep order. After gaining their consent， the girl took up her position at the door of the clinic and helped the nurses arrange the registration forms and let the patients in accordingly from the beginning to the end of the operations， contributing greatly to raising the efficiency of the work. When the doctors and nurses said thanks to the girl after finishing operations， the girl’s grandmother said excitedly， “You’ve come from such a faraway place Beijing to perform operations free for us and let us see light again. You did good and charitable deeds. We will remember forever that it is Chinese doctors who have cured our eye diseases.”

Reluctant to Say Goodbye

During the Bringing Light Tours with busy and full schedule in the two countries， every day the Chinese doctors and nurses gave treatment to many patients and worked very hard， but they felt gratified that they could alleviate patients’ suffering. On the last day of the operations， all the patients who had been operated on came back to the hospital for reexamination. There were grey-haired old men and women and also youngsters at their happy years of life. After the check， none of the patients left immediately. They were waiting to shake hands with and say thanks to the Chinese doctors and nurses who had brought back light to them. The doctors and nurses shook hands with the patients and wished them a happy life in the future. Though it was only a few words of farewell and good wishes， all the people present were so moved that many had tears in their eyes. Parting is always a sad time. They all hoped that time would stop and lingered long before parting. The president of Kim Man Yoo Hospital in Pyongyang said affectionately that the Chinese medical team with their superb medical skills and noble medical ethics had brought light to the Korean patients and enriched the friendship between the two peoples. And he said， today we don’t say goodbye to each other， because we hope that Chinese medical workers will come again next year and bring light to more patients and that the friendship between DPRK and China will last from generation to generation. The president of Ang Doung Hospital in Phnom Penh， Cambodia， said that the China-Cambodia Friendship Bringing Light Tour had brought light to Cambodian patients and reflected the spirit of international humanitarianism and Chinese people’s friendship with the Cambodian people. He expressed the hope that the friendship between Cambodia and China would last for generations.