Records of more than 4 million clinical cases are stored at the hospital's Medical Records Room.

As a pilot for the public hospital reform and a national medical center in China, the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) will celebrate its 101st anniversary on September 16. Having remained committed to solving medical conundrums, cultivating medical talents and providing highquality medical services for more than a century, the hospital has saved countless lives and contributed significantly to the development of medicine and healthcare in China.

The spirit of dedication passed on for a century

The PUMCH was established in 1921 and has been at the forefront of China's healthcare undertakings ever since. The past century has witnessed how the hospital blazed trails in China's modern medicine, cultivated medical talents, and remained committed to its original aspiration of improving the health and wellness of the people. In its long-term medical practice, the hospital has developed the spirit of "rigor, excellence, diligence and devotion" and the ethos of "serving the country and the people; seeking truths in medical research." Generations of PUMCH employees have maintained reverence for life, respect for science, adherence to professionalism, and dedication to the people. We can get a glimpse into why the hospital has enjoyed its sustainable success by looking at its "three treasures," namely its medical records, professors and library.

Since its founding in 1921, the hospital has kept records of more than 4 million clinical cases, which are not only vivid materials for medical study but also precious historical documentation. Many difficult and rare diseases had their first occurrence in China and even the first in the world to be treated at the PUMCH. Those files bear witness to the rigorous scholarship passed through generations of medical professionals of the PUMCH.

In the history of the PUMCH, there have been nearly 100 influential medical experts that played an important part in the evolution of the modern Chinese medicine. They pushed back the frontiers of medicine disciplines and invented new medical techniques. Among them was Zhang Xiaoqian (1897–1987), the founder of gastroenterology in China, who believed doctors must repay the trust placed in them and treat patients with great care "as if treading on thin ice or standing on the edge of an abyss." "In front of patients, we should stay humble like primary school students," he said. Another example was Lin Qiaozhi (1901–1983), a pioneer gynecologist and obstetrician in China. Nicknamed "Mother of Ten Thousand Babies," Lin said that she would "stay on call for a lifetime." They were the embodiment of the hospital's spirit.

Founded in 1917, the hospital's library was once known as the "First Medical Library in Asia." Many rare monographs and atlases of Western medicine and more than a thousand precious ancient books on traditional Chinese medicine are neatly stored here. Meanwhile, the library keeps up with the latest medical developments in the world. It has been upgraded continuously and gained access to many international databases in medicine, thus better supporting clinical care, medical education and scientific research and development.