A medical school in Nanchong, Sichuan province recently embraced a special pair of students: a 44-year-old father and his 17-year-old son. Their shared dream is to improve medical facilities in rural areas.
The father, named Shen Xingpei, is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine in the rural area of Nanchong. Shen earned his assistant's license for TCM in 2000, and became a full doctor seven years later.
Having experienced firsthand the shortcomings of rural medicine, Shen has long dreamed of improving the situation. In order to update his medical knowledge and better serve his fellow villagers, Shen decided to attend the Nanchong Health School of Sichuan province together with his son, Shen Lin, who is also interested in medical science.
The father and his son, who are studying, dining and living on the same campus, have become a unique sight around the school.
"We officially started in September," said Shen, who is determined to return to his hometown after graduation to put his education to work.
