Nauruan President David Adeang has described the arduous journey that his Chinese ancestors undertook more than a century ago, leaving China for the remote Pacific island nation of Nauru, as an inspiring story for him and his family to learn from.
On July 6, Adeang began a four-day visit to Jiangmen City in south China's Guangdong Province, accompanied by his family, to trace their ancestral roots.
After verification by relevant authorities, it was confirmed that Adeang's great-grandfather's ancestral home is in the ancient Chikan town of Jiangmen. Over a century ago, Adeang's ancestors left China for Southeast Asia in search of better livelihoods, before eventually settling in Nauru.
"Understanding the journey that they (my ancestors) took out of the homeland here in China, making their way to the remote, our remote region, which is Oceania, to make a livelihood, contribute to those remote places, the journey could not have been easy. To somehow be able to understand that and reconnect with those who still cherish the homeland, it's a special moment. We, Nauruans, understand the connection that people have with their land, and I admire that very much," Adeang said in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) while in Jiangmen.
During his visit to Chikan, Adeang and his family participated in a traditional ancestral worship ceremony, honoring the customs of their ancestral home. He also planted a banyan tree, a symbol of family prosperity, and was presented with a handful of soil from his ancestral land.
"I really wanted to understand the circumstances in which my family came from, the circumstances in which they felt they needed to leave their homeland, take very difficult, very long journeys to countries that were really quite remote, and also, perhaps very difficult places to live. I wanted to understand the spirit and their motivation. And I think that's a wonderful story for me and my family to learn from," said the president.
Nauruan president says he hopes to draw inspiration from his Chinese ancestors' emigration journey
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
