Xiao Chengcong [Guangming Online]     

A senior traditional Chinese medicine expert from Beijing has worked tirelessly since 1965 to carry forward the strong ethics of her famous grandfather and benefit the health of more patients.  

Xiao Chengcong, 78, works as a professor, chief physician and doctoral supervisor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, part of the city's Dongzhimen Hospital. She is also responsible for passing down the academic experiences of senior TCM experts around the country. 

Xiao is a descendant of an eminent medical family. Her grandfather Xiao Longyou was one of four famous doctors in Beijing, widely known for treating the country's historical leader Sun Yat-sen. 

Under the encouragement of her grandfather, Xiao applied to study at Beijing TCM College (now Beijing University of Chinese Medicine) in 1959. 

At the outset, Xiao struggled hard with the lessons, but as she embarked on clinical practice, she felt the happiness of applying her knowledge. 

After graduation, she chose to stay and work in Dongzhimen Hospital for nearly 50 years.

Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, she still attaches great importance to  combining Chinese and western medicine. For instance, she uses ultrasound imaging  to diagnose illnesses. 

In her view, a clear diagnosis is important to treat patients and relieve their pain. 

When not preoccupied with work, she would spend her spare time engaging in teaching and academic work. 

As a person who is keen on education, so far she has cultivated over 30 doctorate and postgraduate students, along with numerous apprentices. In the meantime, she also holds positions in many organizations, such as president of the Gynecology Committee of China Academic Society of Native Medicine and honorary president of the Gynecology Committee of China Association of Chinese Medicine (CACM). 

She has compiled many books, of which Modern TCM Gynecological Therapeutics was granted a second prize in 2005 by CACM. 

She has volunteered to work at grassroots levels in the past. For instance, she offered free medical treatments to women in remote areas, including northwest China's Qinghai Province and southwest China's Sichuan Province. 

“To engage in practicing at the grassroots level is important. If I didn't go to Menyuan County, Qinghai, I would not have known that climate there led to the frequent occurrence of pelvic inflammation in women,” said Xiao. 

However, it is not easy for her to travel afar at such an age. On her trip to Qinghai, her ear was seriously affected and ever since she has been suffering from disabling hearing loss. 

Yet, none of these difficulties stop her from persisting in her work. 

Though Xiao is well over 70 years old, she still treats patients for three times a week, five to six hours at a time, and has devoted herself to clinical study on gynecology. 

Last year, she established the National TCM Gynecology and Obstetrics Union. 

With the introduction of two-child policy in China, more and more patients are hoping to receive medical treatment from Xiao. In response to their demands, she would always work overtime in order to help the patients as much as she could. 

Moreover, she often puts herself in her patients' shoes, rather than purely earning money from them. What matters most to her is to carry forward medical ethics. 

She even donated her family's treasured 200-year-old sample of donkey-hide gelatin, a popular ingredient used in TCM, to a local museum. 

By studying theories of Chinese and western medicines and accumulating clinical experience, she has distinguished herself in her field and made her name at home and abroad for treating complicated problems including infertility and irregular menstruation. 

As she sees it, TCM plays a paramount role in the development of the Chinese nation, and therefore Xiao is glad to devote herself to the development of TCM. 

Xiao Chengcong communicates with a patient. [Guangming Online]     

Xiao Chengcong and her colleagues [Guangming Online]    

Xiao Chengcong attends the meeting announcing the establishment of the National TCM Gynecology and Obstetrics Union. [Guangming Online]