In Dr.Norman Bethune’s Hometown

At the invitation of the Federation of Canada-China Friendship Associations (FCCFA), a CPAFFC working group paid a goodwill visit to Canada from September 5 to 15, 2008. The two members of the group, who visited Canada for the first time, were deeply impressed by the country’s vast land, tranquil and clear lakes, magnificent undulating mountains and hospitable people of various ethnic groups. During the visit, the group through contacting the Canadian friendship-with-China organizations enhanced mutual understanding, visited the birthplace of Doctor Norman bethune and the cities where he had studied and worked, and had exchanges and sought cooperation with various sides of Canada for the activities to be held in 2009 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the death of Dr. Bethune and the publication of Chairman Mao’s article In Memory of Norman Bethune.

Tracing the Footsteps of Doctor Bethune

Norman Bethune, a Canadian known to every household in China, travelled a long distance to China in 1939. Since then, for the cause of liberation of the Chinese people, he had worked with his surgical instruments in the forefront of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression to the last minute of his life. His selfless internationalist spirit, conscientious attitude towards work and enthusiasm for the cause of China’s national liberation have touched every Chinese. This time, as the purpose of its Canada trip, the working group visited Gravenhurst of Ontario Province―the birth place of Dr. Bethune. It is a small thinly-populated quiet and peaceful city. In the centre of the city there stands a bronze statue of Dr. Bethune. Not far from it is the Bethune Memorial House which consists of two parts: the museum and Bethune’s former residence where he was born in 1890. In 1973 after China and Canada established diplomatic relations, the Canadian Government bought this house, made some renovations on it and opened it to the public in 1976. The former residence is a small two-storeyed white building with a small courtyard where the two white chairs once used by Bethune are still placed there. Through the window, one can see things in the house kept intact. In the museum are displayed Bethune’s biography, photos, albums and the things he used. In the projection room, documentary films about Bethune are always ready to be shown to the visitors.

At 2 o’clock that afternoon, the group attended the opening ceremony of In Memory of Norman Bethune―an exhibition of gifts from China. In his speech at the ceremony, the head of the working group highlighted the important contributions made by Dr. Bethune to the Chinese revolution and the Chinese people’s deep love and respect of him over the years, and briefed about CPAFFC’s past work and this and next years’ plans in commemoration of Dr. Bethune. After the ceremony, the group had working meetings with the mayor of Gravenhurst and curator of the Bethune Memorial House respectively.

Another city that is closely related to Dr. Bethune is Montreal of Quebec Province where he had lived for 10 years―the longest period of his living in Canada. Montreal is known as the most romantic city in North America for the majority of its population speaks French and keeps French cultural tradition. Though we stayed in the city for less than 5 hours, the churches there, big and small with different architectural features, left a deep impression on us.

Officials of the Office of the International Affairs of the Montreal Municipal Government briefed the working group about the work that the government had done and was doing in commemoration of Dr. Bethune including an exhibition held in the Shanghai Century Park in 2006 to publicize Bethune’s work and life through photos with captions; a large-scale ceremony of moving Bethune’s statue to a new place in Montreal on October 14, 2008; an exhibition of photos taken by noted photographer Sha Fei of Bethune working in China to be held in the city in October 2008 and will last for half a year; unveiling of a pavilion in commemoration of Bethune to be held in Shanghai in May 2009, which the mayor of Montreal will attend. The working group also briefed them about the CPAFFC’s plan about the commemorative activities, including an Art Exhibition in Commemoration of Dr. Norman Bethune in Chilliwack in October 2008, a meeting in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the publication of Chairman Mao’s article In Memory of Norman Bethune in Beijing in 2009 and a Dr. Bethune medical team to give charity treatment to patients in the places where Dr. Bethune once lived and worked.

Enhancing Understanding and Friendship

The FCCFA has five branches. The working group visited the cities where four of these branches were located: Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, and Victoria, and had working meetings with the leading members of the four branches. Lolan Wang Merk- linger, president of the FCCFA, fully affirmed the work that the CPAFFC had done for years to strengthen friendly exchanges and cooperation between the Canadian and Chinese people and said that in the future the FCCFA would continue to hold all kinds of activities to publicize China to the Canadian people and enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

In Ottawa, the working group paid a call on Van Tsin, who had been conferred upon the honorary title of Friendship Ambassador by the CPAFFC, conveyed CPAFFC’s regards and thanks to him for his decades’ selfless work for enhancing friendship between the Canadian and Chinese people.

The working group also paid official calls on the Canadian Fund for International Understanding through Culture, the Canadian Museums Association and the Christian Embassy of Canada as well as Senator Mac Harb and Sheryl Masters, manager of administration and protocol of the Victoria Municipal Government.