Tao Xingzhi introduced Bethune to China

The great international communist fighter Dr. Bethune came to China from afar, made important contributions to China's anti-fascist war, and sacrificed his precious life. Comrade Mao Zedong greatly appreciated his unselfish and special character, and wrote the famous chapter "In Memory of Bethune", which made Bethune's name almost a household name. But who brought this great international communist fighter to China? This person is Tao Xingzhi, a famous people's educator in China and a member of Shexian County, Anhui Province.

On September 18, 1931, the Japanese Kou created the September 18 Incident, which opened the prelude to the Japanese fascist bandits' war of aggression against China, and after that, the Japanese Kou endlessly expanded their aggression against China. In order to unite overseas Chinese and international friends to support the domestic War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and promote the great alliance of international anti-fascist forces, in the summer of 1936, Tao Xingzhi raised funds by himself and traveled to 28 countries and regions in Europe and the United States. On July 30, 1937, Tao Xingzhi, who was visiting the United States, was invited to attend a banquet held by the Los Angeles Medical Bureau to welcome the Friends of the Spanish People. The banquet was attended by eminent personalities with an internationalist spirit, including many celebrities from the medical profession, and Dr. Bethune was one of them. At the time, Bethune was the director of thoracic surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada. During the German and Italian fascist intervention in Spain, he followed the Canadian Volunteers to the Spanish front and risked his life to rescue the wounded.

At the banquet, the host enthusiastically introduced Bethune to Tao Xingzhi. When Bethune heard that Tao Xingzhi was from China, he tightly held Mr. Tao's hand. Tao Xingzhi was grateful and briefed Dr. Bethune on the situation of the Chinese people rising up to resist Japan after the "July 7 Incident", and also told the plight of the Chinese military and people who lacked medical treatment and medicine, and asked Bethune to go to China to help the Chinese people in the War of Resistance Against Japan. Dr. Bethune was touched by the anti-Japanese enthusiasm of the Chinese people, and even more touched by Tao Xingzhi's sincere invitation, and immediately said "If needed, I will be willing." Dr. Bethune's enthusiastic reply touched Mr. Tao's eyes to wet, grabbed Dr. Bethune's hand, and said in a loud voice, "Thank you, thank you." On this day, Tao Xingzhi wrote down the name of an extraordinary foreign expert in his notebook: Norman Bethune. Soon, in order to support the liberation of the Chinese people and to fulfill his promise to Tao Xingzhi, Bethune led a medical team composed of Canadians and Americans to China. In April 1938, he was transferred through Yan'an to the anti-Japanese front line in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region. Bethune was a famous thoracic surgeon who served the Anti-Japanese military and civilians in China with exquisite medical technology, and trained a large number of medical cadres, making outstanding contributions to the liberation of the Chinese people. He was poisoned by rescuing the wounded and died in Hebei on November 12, 1939. History will not forget Dr. Bethune's great internationalist spirit, nor will it forget Tao Xingzhi's outstanding contribution to inviting Dr. Bethune to China.