Seven Chinese nurses awarded Florence Nightingale Medals in Beijing

Seven Chinese nurses were awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, one of the highest international distinctions for nursing professionals, on Friday in recognition of their contributions to health and care.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, also honorary chairman of the Red Cross Society of China, presented the medals at the 50th Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

A total of 35 nurses from 17 countries were honored this year, with China leading in the number of recipients.

The Chinese honorees include a nurse from the AIDS Clinical Training Center in the central China city of Wuhan, a senior medical volunteer with the Hong Kong Red Cross, and an emergency department nurse at a military hospital, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said in his speech at the ceremony that the seven recipients vividly demonstrated the Red Cross's spirit of humanity, compassion and dedication.

He called on nurses across the country to follow their examples, carry forward the fine tradition of saving lives and the spirit of Florence Nightingale, take an active part in the Healthy China initiative, and safeguard the health of the people with professional nursing.

Balthasar Staehelin, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) Regional Delegation for East Asia, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Feng Ling, representative of the awardees, and Cong Xue, representative of young nurses, also delivered speeches respectively at the event.

More than 700 officials and representatives of health workers also attended the award ceremony.

Established by the ICRC in 1912, the Florence Nightingale Medal is an international honor awarded to exceptional nurses worldwide every two years. Since China first participated in the selection in 1983, 97 Chinese nurses have received this prestigious award.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse, statistician and social reformer who was the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.

Seven Chinese nurses awarded Florence Nightingale Medals in Beijing

Quanzhou City of east China's Fujian Province, renowned for ancient salt pans and porcelain workshops, draws tourists with its unique salt-making and ceramic-making techniques, offering tourists fresh and enjoyable hands-on experiences.

At the Shanyao salt field, new programs are constantly being introduced to enrich visitor engagement, allowing them to experience ancient salt-making techniques and even create salt sculptures, making traditional crafts not just something to watch, but something to hold and play with.

The salt field, covering an area of 920 hectares, adheres to the traditional sun-drying techniques and annually turns out 65,000 tons of sea salt.

The Fujian traditional sun-drying techniques for sea salt production (Quanzhou style) was inscribed in the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

In Dehua County's white porcelain workshop, visitors can try making pottery themselves, experiencing the charm of traditional craftsmanship.

With centuries of ceramic-making history and famed for its white porcelain, Dehua is home to over 4,500 ceramic-making enterprises, exporting products to more than 190 other countries and regions worldwide.

Renowned historic east China city draws visitors with heritage tours