Bethune Memorial House

Bethune Memorial House

At 398 Zhongshan West Road, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, Bethune memorial hall is particularly attractive in the beautiful Bethune International Peace Hospital of the Chinese people's Liberation Army.

Walking into the Memorial Hall

Stepping into the gate of the memorial hall, a white bust of Bethune stood facing the door. His head was high, his eyes were deep, and his vivid image made people respect him.

The preface of the memorial hall is the full text of Comrade Mao Zedong's famous article in memory of Bethune. More than 900 gold imitation song characters on the red velveteen cloth are shining, which makes this immortal work exude dazzling brilliance.

The exhibition content of the memorial is divided into nine parts. The first part shows the track of Bethune's early life to the audience.

The deeds of great men

Norman Bethune was born on March 3, 1890 in Ontario, Canada. In his youth, Bethune sold newspapers, served as a canteen waiter, taught books, and worked as a reporter. After graduating from Toronto Medical College in 1916, Bethune served in the British navy and the Canadian air force. From 1928 to 1936, Bethune worked in Royal Victoria Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal, Canada.

In 1935, Bethune joined the Communist Party of Canada. In August 1936, the German and Italian fascists launched the war of aggression against Spain. Bethune resolutely joined the Canadian volunteer army to aid the Spanish people and served as the field ambulance captain.

The third part of the memorial is "come to China from afar", which introduces the historical background of Bethune's aid to China in the war of resistance against Japan and the scene of his meeting with Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Mao Zedong after his arrival in China.

In July 1937, Japanese imperialism launched a war of aggression against China. As a peace loving international friend, Bethune actively appealed for assistance to the Chinese people in the Anti Japanese war. With the approval of the Canadian American aid committee, he left Vancouver, Canada in January 1938 and arrived in Hankou via Hong Kong. At the office of the Eighth Route Army in Wuhan, Comrade Zhou Enlai met with him cordially and made thoughtful arrangements for Bethune to go to Yan'an.

At the end of March 1938, on the evening of Bethune's arrival in Yan'an, Mao Zedong met him in the cave. A huge oil painting and precious historical materials reappear the scene of meeting that year.

After Mao Zedong talked about the situation of China's Anti Japanese War, the topic turned to the issue of medical aid in the front line of Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei. Mao Zedong asked Bethune for advice. Bethune affirmed: "I think the most effective way is to organize the field medical team and go to the front line to rescue the wounded. If the operation is carried out in time, 75% of the seriously injured can recover. " Mao Zedong raised his head and became interested in this number: "is this number correct?"

"Right, 75%." Bethune answered excitedly.

Mao Zedong said decisively, "please organize the field medical team immediately."

Bethune was very happy to hear that. He asked Mao Zedong to go to the front line of Anti Japanese war as soon as possible.

On June 17, 1938, Bethune arrived in Wutai County, Shanxi Province, where he served as the health consultant of Shanxi Chahar Hebei military region.

As for Bethune's fighting life in the period of Jin Cha Ji Anti Japanese front line, the exhibition contents of the memorial hall are divided into four parts: "extremely responsible for work", "extremely enthusiastic for comrades and the people", "constantly improving technology", "lofty ideal and hard life", supplemented by medical equipment, living utensils and letters used by Bethune in the front line 62 precious cultural relics have been intensively reflected.

In the exhibition, an oil painting of Bethune galloping through the snow with a medicine box on his back tells a touching story.

In the middle of November 1938, Peng Qingyun, the instructor of the first battalion of the seventh regiment of the 359 brigade, was seriously injured in the battle on his right arm, bleeding and dying. Brigade commander Wang Zhen asked Bethune to have emergency operation.

The location of the medical team is 120 li away from the wounded. All the way, Bethune kept urging: "hurry, hurry! The wounded are waiting for us. " More than two hours later, Bethune arrived at the destination, Peng Qingyun's right elbow was shot through, the situation is very critical, Bethune made a quick decision: immediately blood transfusion, spare no effort to save the lives of the wounded.

Everyone gathered around to ask for blood transfusion. Bethune stopped them and said, "time is pressing. We can't check the blood type. It's time-consuming. Come on, take my blood. I'm type O, universal blood donor

"Dr. Bai, I can't draw any more blood from you. You just gave blood to a wounded man two days ago. You can't bear it." A doctor who followed him to rescue the wounded dissuaded him.

Bethune rolled up his sleeve and said firmly, "soldiers are bleeding. What is it that we offer some blood?" In this way, 200 ml of blood with Bethune's temperature slowly flowed into Peng Qingyun's body. Later, Bethune successfully carried out the operation, making Peng Qingyun return to the battlefield.

"Lugou Bridge"

A medicine box model called "Lugou Bridge" in the display cabinet often attracts the attention of the audience. It turned out that Bethune found that using local people's dung to carry medicine and equipment was more suitable for the environment of guerrilla warfare. So I borrowed the dung piggy to study with you and made this new kind of piggy medicine tool. This kind of tool is not only convenient for loading, unloading and transportation, but also can be used as an operating table when rescuing the wounded. This kind of piggyback looks like a bridge. Dr. Bethune gave it a meaningful name - "Lugou Bridge".

The exhibition also displays the daily necessities Bethune used at the front: ordinary tableware, old-fashioned kerosene lamps, patched fur coats. These historical photos, together with his simple life in the front line, reflect Bethune's strong, optimistic, and common weal and woe with the Anti Japanese army and people.

Chairman Mao Zedong was very concerned about Bethune's health. He once sent a telegram to Nie Rongzhen, commander of Shanxi Chahar Hebei military region, instructing him to give Comrade Bethune 100 yuan a month to take care of his life. Bethune wrote back to Chairman Mao the night he received the telegram I decline the allowance of 100 yuan per month. I don't need money myself because everything is provided. If the money is remitted to me personally by Canada or the United States, please keep it as tobacco fee for the wounded to buy tobacco and cigarettes

Hard life has not obliterated Bethune's strong will to fight. In the exhibition, there is a letter he wrote to his American friends at the front line, which reads: "I don't care about the difficulties in daily life There was no stove, no bed and no bathroom for the hike in the mountains. The past life once enticed me, but for my ideal, those days let it go forever. "

Work hard for the people

Dedicated to the people is the last part of the special exhibition of Bethune Memorial. In the exhibition, the portrait of Bethune after his death is juxtaposed with his last letter to commander Nie Rongzhen. In the photo, Bethune's tired and old face is firm and serene; in the letter, Bethune's affectionate entrustment to the work and the wounded and his broad mind that he is willing to die are very touching.

In October 1939, the Japanese launched a large-scale "winter sweep" to the Shanxi Chahar Hebei border region. Bethune resolutely gave up the plan of returning home to raise money and led the field medical team to the front line. On November 1, a wounded man with erysipelas and cellulitis in his neck was sent from the front line. When Bethune cut the wound for the wounded, his gloves were cut and the virus attacked his injured fingers. On the day after Bethune was fatally infected, he ignored the fatigue of the 70 Li march on the first day, forgot his general discomfort, and examined more than 200 wounded.

Bethune ignored everyone's dissuasion, with more and more serious injuries, facing the heavy snow, set out to the front line.

On the way, when Bethune saw the wounded who had been carried down from the front line, he repeatedly scolded himself: "it's late, it's late!" By this time, his temperature had reached 39 degrees six.

A steady stream of wounded people came from the front line, and Bethune insisted on going to the operation. All of a sudden, he fell. He struggled to open his eyes and said intermittently, "where there is The wounded with head, chest and abdomen injuries must I'll do it. " Bethune should be escorted to the rear hospital for treatment at all costs.

The deterioration of the disease

At 3 p.m., the stretcher that took Bethune to the rear hospital arrived at huangshikou village, Tang County, Hebei Province, 18 miles away from the rear hospital.

Bethune's condition is getting worse. Bethune wrote his last words in trembling handwriting:

Dear commander Nie

I feel very bad today. Maybe I will say goodbye to you.

…… Please tell the people of Canada and the United States that the last two years have been the happiest and most meaningful time in my life!

…… 250 pounds of quinine and 300 pounds of iron are bought every year for malaria patients and a large number of anemia patients. Don't go to Baoding or Tianjin to buy medicine, because the price there is twice as high as that in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

……

The death of a great man

At 5:20 a.m. on November 12, 1939, Norman Bethune gave his precious life for the liberation of the Chinese people and the just struggle against fascism in the world.

Mourning

Chinese PinYin : Bai Qiu En Ji Nian Guan