The Yan Fuqing Memorial Exhibition was officially opened in Johannesburg at the Wits Adler Museum on Friday, 8 November 2024. The exhibition celebrated the achievements and the legacy of a remarkable figure in Chinese medical history, Dr Yan Fuqing, and the impact he had on the mines of South Africa many decades ago – a legacy still reverberating into medicine today. The exhibition due to close today, featured documents, letters, images, certificates and newspaper clippings, marking the first overseas event among a series of planned international exhibitions.
The exhibition celebrates the achievements and the legacy of a remarkable figure in Chinese medical history, Dr Yan Fuqing. Supplied by the Adler Museum
An historical tale of care
Dr Yan Fuqing (1882-1970) was a pioneer of modern healthcare in China. As a Chinese medical practitioner, civil servant and educator, Dr Yan was not only the first Asian person to earn a medical doctorate from Yale University, but also the first cohort of professional doctors from China to provide aid to Africa.
When Dr Yan was a 22-year-old intern physician in 1904, he embarked on a journey of nearly 10 000 miles to South Africa, to help Chinese mining labourers languishing under deadly diseases in incredibly harsh living conditions. As a mine physician, he provided medical services to nearly ten thousand Chinese labourers recruited by the Qing Dynasty government. His experience as a mining physician in South Africa profoundly impacted him and solidified his lifelong commitment to serving the people.
“It is inconceivable how he could have completed such an arduous journey without noble morality and immense courage. Such courage propelled him through a life marked by trials and unwavering dedication. Moral courage may not unlock success, but it is a force far more admirable and worthy of pursuit, transcending differences in race, faith and cultural background. Especially in challenging times, it serves as the sole and ultimate light of hope,” says Wang Na, curator and producer of the exhibition. “I hope, as visitors depart from the exhibition, they will share this profound sentiment.”
Reverberations into the future
Dr Yan was also a founding father and the first dean of Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University 97 years ago. To change the tendency of foreigners’ dominance in China’s medical education and pioneer Chinese-initiated medical education, Dr Yan, alongside a set of visionary individuals, founded China’s first National School of Medicine, which has since become Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, run by and for Chinese people.
“At the onset of his medical and educational endeavours, Dr Yan emphasised a public health approach focused on ‘prevention first’ and outlined an ambitious blueprint for a Public Medical System.
“His profound love for treating the people, stopping war-related deaths, and what he did for medical care in China and globally, still inspires every one of us at Shanghai Medical College to this day,” says Zhu Tongyu, vice-president of Shanghai Medical College Fudan University .
In 1909, Dr Yan Fuqing was awarded the highest honour, cum laude, by Yale University for his outstanding academic performance and thesis. In the same year, he became a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
“Similar to the case in South Africa, Dr Yan Fuqing is not a household name in China. Most visitors step into the exhibition hall with a sense of unfamiliarity but leave with profound emotions, awe and inspiration. Any phrase used to depict this humble pioneer’s historic contributions to modern Chinese medicine would not be an exaggeration, particularly considering he made these contributions during the most tumultuous and difficult decades of the last century,” says Wang.
This public exhibition, celebrating the life and legacy of Dr Yan Fuqing, was open to the public from 9–12 November 2024 A fitting venue, the museum itself is a remarkable private collection of medical and pharmacological memorabilia, with over 40 000 objects depicting the history of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy through the ages.
Following this inaugural showcase in South Africa, the exhibition will travel to the United Kingdom and the United States of America before the centennial anniversary celebration of Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University in 2027.
“As we approach the centennial anniversary, we bring to South Africa a celebration of the noble character, outstanding achievements and the immortal spirit of Dr Yan as a pioneer of medical education,” says Wang.
Professor Willy Vangu chief specialist and head: Nuclear Medicine at WITS Medical School spoke to Sharyn Macnamara, editor of African Mining at the event about the impact of Dr Yan’s legacy.
The interview can be viewed here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7262066487962566656
For more information about this exhibition, please contact The Adler Museum on 011 717 2081 or email digital@highvolt.co.za.
Source: supplied by the Adler Museum