Camel bells once rang along the ancient Silk Road; today's physicians journey west again.

📺 Reported by Kazakhstan National Television

Under the grand blueprint of the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese healthcare is stepping onto the world stage with greater confidence and openness. From September 9 to 11, 2026, a delegation led by President Hou Jianxi of Zhengzhou Renji Hospital traveled thousands of miles to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to attend the Annual Orthopedics Conference. The conference was convened by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Orthopedic Research Center of Kazakhstan, the National Public Association of Traumatologists and Orthopedists of Kazakhstan, and the Nurlan Batpenov Academician Charitable Foundation. This engagement represented not only a summit of international academic exchange, but also a proud journey that showcased the strength of Chinese microsurgery and fulfilled the responsibility of Chinese physicians as citizens of a major nation.

Tour of the National Orthopedic Center of Kazakhstan

Presentation of microsurgical instruments to the National Orthopedic Center of Kazakhstan

Chinese experts at the ribbon-cutting ceremony (far right: President Hou Jianxi; second from right: Professor Ehmetjan Yusup; third from left: Professor Zhu Qingtang)

On September 9, President Hou Jianxi and his delegation first visited the National Orthopedic Center of Kazakhstan for a facility tour and academic presentations. A delegation led by the Vice Minister of Health of Kazakhstan came to the site in person to extend a warm welcome to the Chinese expert team. Subsequently, domestic experts — including President Hou Jianxi of Zhengzhou Renji Hospital, Professor Ehmetjan Yusup of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, and Professor Zhu Qingtang of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University — jointly attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the "Yasargil Microsurgery Training Center – Kazakhstan Cooperation Center." The establishment of this base marks the entry of China–Kazakhstan cooperation in microsurgery into a substantive phase. Going forward, it will be devoted to training more specialist microsurgeons for Kazakhstan and bringing benefit to local communities.

President Hou Jianxi's delegation at the National Orthopedic Center of Kazakhstan — tour and academic presentation (Sept 9)

President Hou Jianxi's delegation at the National Orthopedic Center of Kazakhstan — tour and academic presentation (Sept 9, continued)

Beyond academic exchange, the Chinese experts conducted a charitable free clinic. Facing local patients who had come upon hearing the news, the experts performed careful physical examinations and gave detailed consultations, conveying a boundary-transcending compassion through benevolent hearts and skilled hands.

Chinese experts conducting the charitable free clinic for local patients

From September 10 to 11, at the Annual Orthopedics Conference, President Hou Jianxi, on behalf of Zhengzhou Renji Hospital, delivered a lecture sharing the hospital's advanced techniques and extensive clinical experience in microsurgery and orthopedic traumatology. He brought Chinese solutions and Chinese wisdom to experts and scholars from around the world, and his excellent presentation earned high praise from the international experts in attendance.

President Hou Jianxi delivering his lecture at the Annual Orthopedics Conference (Sept 10–11, continued)

President Hou Jianxi presenting Chinese porcelain to an overseas expert

An overseas scholar learning about the hospital and registering for training

An overseas journalist, deeply impressed, taking photos to mark the occasion

President Zhao Dezheng giving an interview to Kazakhstani media

In addition, Zhengzhou Renji Hospital set up a dedicated booth at the conference, presenting its development history, signature techniques, and international cooperation achievements in full. The booth attracted numerous delegates who stopped to exchange ideas, and the hospital was interviewed by two local authoritative media outlets. It confidently told the story of Chinese healthcare to Central Asian audiences, conveying both the professionalism and the human warmth of Chinese physicians, and further extended the hospital's international influence across Central Asia.

Hospital booth at the conference and media coverage (including Director Hou Yilin's interview)

Hospital booth at the conference and media coverage (continued)

This journey to Kazakhstan was not only a successful act of academic outreach by Zhengzhou Renji Hospital, but also a vivid practice through which China and Kazakhstan deepened friendship and pursued shared development in the healthcare sector. The physicians of a great nation never pause in their stride. Looking ahead, Zhengzhou Renji Hospital will continue to hold high the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative and advance into the world with even greater vigor, letting the light of Chinese microsurgery shine in every corner of the international stage.