Meeting between Dr. Norman Bethune (left) and Nie Rongzhen (centre), Commander-in-Chief of the Chin-Ch'a-Chi Border Region, 1938, China -- Public Domain Image
Norman Bethune, born in Gravenhurst, Ontario in 1890 served heroically as a doctor for the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War and then in China with the People's Liberation Army.
He contracted blood poisoning while operating on wounded soldiers and died in Tanghsien, Hopei, on November 12, 1939. He is regarded in China as one of the great heroes of the Chinese revolution.
In 1979 the Chinese media reported on meeting in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People which is interesting as it involves commentary from Nie Rongzhen. Rongzhen was a graduate of the Soviet Red Army Military College, was one of the commanders of the troops with which Bethune served and went to become a PLA Marshall and to hold a number of prominent party and government positions. His insights are interesting. He died in 1992.
In Memory of Norman Bethune
Three thousand people in Beijing gathered at the Great Hall of the People on the afternoon of November 12 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the death of Comrade Norman Bethune, a great internationalist fighter and a close friend of the Chinese people.
Nie Rongzhen, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and commander of the units in which Dr. Bethune had served, sent a message to the meeting.
The distinguished Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune came to China in 1937 during the War of Resistance Against Japan at the head of a medical team made up of Canadians and Americans, and served in the Liberated Areas for nearly two years. He died in Tangxian County, Hebei Province, on November 12, 1939 after he had contracted blood poisoning while operating on the wounded at the frontline. Dr. Bethune's lofty internationalist spirit is remembered and revered throughout China.
In his written speech to the meeting, Comrade Nie Rongzhen said:
— "Comrade Norman Bethune offered us his selfless support at a time when our people's revolutionary struggle was in difficulties. This will be remembered by our people from generation to generation."
— "In commemorating Dr. Bethune at this historic period of the new Long March, we should continue to learn from him, carry forward the Bethune spirit, strive to be revolutionaries and scientists of the Bethune type, and dedicate our talent and energy to the four modernizations and to the cause of the emancipation of humanity."
— "He boldly challenged the old world. He dedicated his all to the realization of his communist ideal and heroically laid down his life. We should learn from him the revolutionary spirit and the scientific approach in seeking truth and fighting for it so as to study and solve the new problems that crop up in our new Long March today."
— "In commemorating Comrade Bethune, we should learn from his communist spirit of utter devotion to others without any thought of himself. He stayed in the Shanxi-Chahaer-Hebei Military Area for more than a year, and all that time he worked hard day and night, sometimes neglecting his meals and sleep. He was always there wherever he was needed."
— "In commemorating Bethune, we should learn from his practical approach of combining politics with professional work and constantly perfecting his skill."
— "In commemorating Bethune, we should also learn from him his internationalist spirit of adopting the cause of liberation of other people as his own. In the course of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Liberation War, the Chinese people received much valuable support and assistance from foreign friends like Comrade Bethune. Since we achieved victory, we have done our best to assist other people in their struggles for national independence and liberation. We Chinese people will never forget all those old friends who had helped us."
Nit Rongzhen added that Bethune's spirit is not only praised by hundreds of millions of Chinese people, his influence among the masses in Canada and other countries of the world is also growing. Not only the Chinese people feel honoured to have Bethune as their comrade in work and in arms, but the Canadian people are also proud of him as their outstanding representative. Bethune was a hero shared by the Chinese and Canadian peoples.
Dr. William E. Barootes, leader of the Canadian delegation for the commemorative activities in China, also spoke at the meeting. He said: Dr. Bethune was an important bridge that linked China with Canada. He arrived in China at a time when its independence was threatened, but he believed in the future of this great country.
"Today," he added, "China is again at a crucial point in its history. Its fields and mountains are not a battleground as they were in Betbune's time. But it faces a gigantic task as outlined in the four modernizations programme. China's leaders are rightly confident of the ability and determination of the Chinese people to meet these new challenges as they did those of 40 years ago." He assured his audience that in this endeavour the Chinese people could count on the friendship and support of the people of many friendly countries, including Canada.
On November 12, an exhibition on the life of Dr. Norman Bethune opened at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.
On November 8, a memorial meeting attended by 1,000 people was held in the Norman Bethune International Peace Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in north China's Shijiazhuang. The hospital was named after him following his death. in 1974, the Bethune Memorial Hall was set up in the hospital in accordance with instructions by the late Premier Zhou Enlai.
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