Doves were released on the memorial ceremony symbolizing the noble spirit of the donors. /CGTN Photo
As the Qingming Festival is around the corner, many people across China are paying tribute to their deceased loved ones. And memorial ceremonies are also being held to commemorate those who made special contributions. This includes memorials for those who donated their whole bodies towards medical research.
April 1 marks the seventh Memorial Day of Body Donors in Taiyuan, the capital of northern China's Shanxi Province. More than 300 locals gathered in a public cemetery and placed flowers before a monument for body donors.
The monument was built seven years ago, and has become a place for family members of body donors to mourn their loved ones.
Hao Dongmei's husband died of cancer last year at the age of 41 and donated his body as he wished. Hao shed tears amid the ceremony.
"It's my first time here. I feel deeply moved. I used to disagree with his decision but now I understand it and I feel so proud of him. I thought he might be lonely after he died. But today's event let me realize that he's never lonely. And I'll encourage more people to join the body donations," Hao told CGTN.
Lei Aiping's father died at the age of 82 and also donated his body for medical research. Lei missed her father very much and also feels proud of him.
"My father was a faithful member of the Communist Party of China. He went for body donation registration after he learned about the shortage of body donations. We weren't surprised that he would made such a decision because he always taught us about the spirit of giving," said Li.
Many medical students and teachers also attended the event. Gao Hongyi, principal of Taiyuan Health School, made a speech at the ceremony.
"Body donations play a vital role in teaching and learning in medical schools. We feel so grateful for these body donors and they deserve our greatest respect. We also hope to see more donor registrations," she told CGTN.
So far Taiyuan has 800 registered body donors, and 137 of them have died and donated their bodies for medical research. Local authorities say the number of donors has increased gradually over the years.
"Medical research needs sufficient human bodies and medical progress wouldn't be achieved without human anatomy. We're happy to see that more and more people from all walks of life have learnt about body donation and made registrations," said Tian Zhaoqu, former Secretary General of Taiyuan Red Cross Society.
China has much fewer body donors than organ donors. This event in Taiyuan is one of many memorial activities across the country that aren't just aimed at acknowledging their contributions to medical research, but are also an appeal to the public for more.
