Chinese Navy hospital ship Auspicious Ark arrives in Guinea on medical mission

China

Chinese Navy hospital ship Auspicious Ark arrives in Guinea on medical mission

2026-10-05 11:36 Last Updated At：12:08

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's hospital ship Auspicious Ark arrived in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on Saturday to begin a seven-day goodwill visit to the West African country and provide medical services for the local community, marking the first visit by a Chinese naval hospital ship to Guinea.

The hospital ship, which is carrying out Mission Harmony-2026, docked at the Port of Conakry at around 10:00 local time.

Guinean government and military officials, military personnel, the Chinese ambassador to Guinea, defense attache and other embassy staff members, local residents, representatives of overseas Chinese and Chinese enterprises gathered at the port to welcome the ship.

The national flags of China and Guinea fluttered from the ship's mast. A Guinean military band performed music at the port as people waved the national flags of the two countries.

After the ship was berthed, the Guinean military band performed a welcome music, while local residents presented a traditional Chinese-style lion dance, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.

"On behalf of the overseas Chinese in Guinea, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the arrival of the hospital ship Auspicious Ark. We are deeply moved, as it will help to safeguard the physical health of us overseas Chinese here in Guinea, and provide medical services for the people of Guinea. This marks a new level in the friendship between Guinea and China. For us overseas Chinese, the motherland is always our backing and gives us support," said Chen Renbing, chairman of the Guinea Overseas Chinese Association.

During the visit, the commander of the mission will hold talks with Guinean military leaders.

The hospital ship will provide medical services from its main platform. Medical training and medical outreach teams will also visit the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital and a military camp to conduct academic exchanges and provide medical consultations and treatment.

The mission will also include a reception hosted on the ship's deck and arrange for representatives of its personnel to visit the Confucius Institute at the University of Conakry for cultural exchanges.

Immersive red cultural experience at Loushan Pass recreates key victory in Long March

A large-scale immersive production recreates the smoky battlefield of how the Red Army secured an important victory against the Kuomintang forces at the Loushan Pass, a revolutionary site in Zunyi City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, in 1935 during the Long March, drawing younger generations closer to the historical event.

The Loushan Pass occupies an important place in the history of the Long March. Achieved in February 1935 after the historic Zunyi Conference in which late Chinese leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976) rose to high-level military and political leadership, the battle at the Loushan Pass is widely remembered as the Red Army's first major victory since the start of the Long March and as a turning point that helped reverse a difficult military situation.

Today, what was once a battlefield is now a popular tourism destination. Twice a day, a live-action performance lasting nearly an hour recreates battle scenes. Visitors can take part in the performance, dressing in uniforms and playing roles as local residents, helping to transport supplies and tending to wounded soldiers.

A China Global Television Network (CGTN) correspondent traveled to the area and joined the immersive experience project in one episode of the special series Marching On, which retraced the original route of the Long March across several provinces to show how the enduring spirit of determination and resilience continues to inspire generations of the Chinese people as they pursue better lives through innovation and hard work.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Long March, a crucial turning point in modern Chinese history that contributed to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The Red Army soldiers, forerunners of today's People's Liberation Army, began their strategic retreat in 1934. They endured raging rivers, snow-capped mountains, and vast grasslands -- some marching as far as 12,500 kilometers -- before finally reaching Yan'an in Shaanxi Province in northwest China in 1936, where they established the CPC headquarters before the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.