TV documentary tells China's medical assistance to Africa

China (Hunan province) dispatches medical workers and experts to Sierra Leone in aid, May 10, 2015. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - "Border for Doctors," a four-episode TV documentary depicting China's medical assistance to Africa, has been hailed as an excellent piece showcasing China-Africa cooperation and friendship.

Through a panoramic view, the documentary tells stories of China's medical workers, facing life-threatening diseases and epidemic, saving numerous lives in Africa over more than half a century.

The documentary, filmed by CCTV-4 Chinese international channel, has been watched 80 million times, delivering China as a nation with affection and responsibility, according to channel director-general Li Xinyan.

What touches the audience the most is not the wild scenery of Africa, but instead the humanity embodied by the medical workers, said Zhang Tongdao, documentary center director at Beijing Normal University. "The medical workers are as vulnerable as anyone else, but they showed their professionalism at critical moments."

A quality documentary always makes the audience remember several figures and stories, said He Suliu, a professor with the Communication University of China. "'Border for Doctors' reflects the international humanitarian spirit. It is a good carrier to shape China's image as well as spread the culture and value of China."

Through several stories, the documentary conveys China's ambition to build a community of shared future for humanity, said Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Since the first Chinese medical team arrived in Africa in 1963, all kinds of non-profit Chinese medical services have contributed to the continent's healthcare.

During the past 55 years, China has sent over 20,000 medical workers to Africa and some 200 million African people have benefited from the program.