The reluctant departure

Located in the deep mountains at the junction of Xiuning county, Anhui province, and Chun'an county, Zhejiang province, Huangjian township is sparsely populated with inconvenient transportation access. Before the arrival of the two doctors, villagers in the most remote Qingxi village had to walk 6 kilometers to the Huangjian township Health Center to see a doctor. Timely emergency treatment is hardly a guarantee if someone has a sudden illness or accident. The couple's presence filled the gap especially in Qingxi and Xujia villages.

"When I first came to the village, I'd never thought there would be a huge psychological gap," says Xu. "I thought my task would be merely treating a cold or cough, only to discover it was not as simple as imagined."