Nestled in the coastal town of Boao in south China's Hainan Province, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone is rapidly becoming a leading hub for health and innovation in China, drawing increasing attention from around the world and bringing new hope to patients and their families grappling with rare diseases.
At the pilot zone, also known as "Hope City", four-year-old Haohao, who was born deaf, is undergoing a course of life-changing treatment so he can hear. He received his first cochlea implant at a hospital near his countryside home, in east China's Anhui Province. But when it came time for the implant in his other ear, his family decided to travel to the Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.
"Haohao's doctor told us that he had a very serious gene mutation affecting his hearing in both ears. Before, I didn't believe that he would be able to hear. Now I think it's very helpful to get him this equipment, and I think it's better to do it here," said the boy's grandmother.
Haohao will receive the latest generation of the cochlea implant thanks to the Pilot zone's policy to fast-track access to new medical devices. The operation will make use of a stabilizing robotic arm, the first of its kind available in China.
There are also significant economic advantages for patients who travel to the Medical Tourism Pilot Zone. Imported medical devices enjoy duty-free status, pushing down the cost of treatment.
"Hainan now has a duty-free policy thanks to the special customs rules. That means the cochlea is imported on a tax-free basis, so it is cheaper than in other places. Then some of the cost is reimbursed through medical insurance, so the burden of patients has been greatly reduced," said Cui Jingwei, Deputy Chief Physician of the E.N.T. Dept at Boao Super Hospital.
Now, the pilot zone is home to over 30 top-tier domestic and international medical institutions and more than 500 pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices approved overseas but not yet available in the domestic market have been licensed for patients to access there.
"Our Lecheng pilot zone is the first to try this way of operating. We have already enjoyed the zero tariff policy - something exclusive to Boao. But after the special customs operations, there will be more places in Hainan like us that can enjoy preferential policies like ours," Cui said.
Hainan emerges as China's premier international medical tourism destination
Dense fog and icy conditions have forced the closure of major expressways in multiple provincial-level regions across China since Friday morning.
At 12:00 on Friday, traffic control measures, including closures, remained in effect on 16 sections of national and provincial trunk roads in Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Xinjiang. Among these, two sections had their mainlines closed, while toll stations on 14 sections were shut.
Starting from the early hours of Friday, multiple areas in Dezhou City of Shandong Province experienced dense fog, with Xiajin, Pingyuan and Yucheng reporting visibility less than 100 meters.
In parts of Xiajin, visibility dropped below 50 meters, prompting local meteorological authorities to issue a red alert for dense fog.
Affected by the fog, temporary control measures were implemented on some expressways within Dezhou, with multiple entrances closed. Traffic police strengthened presence at service areas, entrances and exits of expressways to ensure road safety.
So far, all expressway entrances and exits in Dezhou have resumed normal operation.
Many areas in Hebei also experienced dense fog, with visibility less than 200 meters in eastern Baoding, western Cangzhou, Xingtai, and eastern Handan in the province. Some localities even reported visibility below 50 meters.
Shortly after 6:00, the Hebei Provincial Meteorological Observatory issued an orange alert for dense fog.
From 23:00 on Thursday to Friday morning, over 10 key routes in Hebei, including the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao, Beijing-Kunming, Daqing-Guangzhou, Tianjin-Shijiazhuang, and Qingdao-Lanzhou expressways, were affected by dense fog.
Expressway traffic police closed some toll stations along these expressways according to fog conditions, and activated traffic diversion points to divert vehicles.
By 10:00 Friday, as visibility improved, some toll stations resumed operation.
On expressway sections with insufficient visibility, traffic police used patrol cars to lead and control the speed of vehicles, guiding stranded traffic to pass through orderly and safely.
Additionally, due to snowfall and icy road surfaces, control measures were taken on 28 expressway sections in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Xinjiang. Among them, the mainlines of 14 sections were closed, while toll gates were shut on the other 14 ones.
The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue alert for snowfall on Friday morning, with parts of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Gansu expected to be hit by heavy snow.
Foggy, icy weather forces road closure across China
