Walking into the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province (hereinafter referred to as the First Hospital of Yunnan Province) located in the center of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, there is an unobtrusive black and white photo hanging in the corridor of the blood transfusion department. But upon closer inspection, I discovered that the two people in this photo, taken in 1944, were the anti-Japanese general Du Yuming sitting at a wooden table, and a young nurse who lowered her head to check him before donating blood. This nurse is Lin Rusi, the eldest daughter of writer Lin Yutang.
More than 80 years ago, this "China's first blood bank" was "moved" from New York, USA to Kunming, Yunnan. On the 23rd, the reporter walked into the First Hospital of Yunnan Province and visited the "Historic Corridor of China's First Blood Bank" built by the Department of Blood Transfusion, and relived this journey across the Pacific Ocean of "blood is thicker than water, and we fight the enemy side by side."
"Because of this blood bank, the lives of countless soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War have been extended." said Zhang Chan, director of the Blood Transfusion Department of the First Hospital of Yunnan Province.
The blood bank of the Military Medical Administration of the Ministry of Military Affairs is located in Yunnan Provincial Kunhua Hospital (now the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province). Photo courtesy of the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province
New York, USA: A blood bank born for China’s Anti-Japanese War
During the Anti-Japanese War, the American Medical Aid to China (ABMAC), founded in New York by Chinese-American medical scientist Xu Zhaodui and others, used the creed of "humanity above all else" to raise medical equipment and drugs for war-torn China. In 1941, the association decided to donate a blood bank for blood transfusion and rescue to China, and established a scholarship to train professional talents in Chinese blood banks.
Yi Jianlong, a Chinese scholar studying at the University of Toronto in Canada, was hired to participate in the establishment. Together with Huang Ruozhen, a scholar studying in the United States, he mastered the blood collection and blood product preparation technology that was at the forefront of medical development at that time.
On June 7, 1943, the Chinese Blood Bank was established and put into trial operation near Chinatown, New York. Yi Jianlong served as director and Huang Ruozhen served as deputy director—this was the first blood bank entirely run by Chinese people.
As the news spread, Chinese students, overseas Chinese, and friendly people from the United States rushed to donate blood, and a total of 1,157 blood samples were collected within six months. On the day of the unveiling, former Director of the Central Department of Health Liu Ruiheng, Chinese Consul General in New York Yu Hangji and others took the lead in rolling up their sleeves. The blood they donated was made into blood products and shipped to the Chinese anti-Japanese front line.
Kunming, Yunnan: A “move” across three oceans
After half a year of fruitful trial operation, in February 1944, Yi Jianlong led the staff of the blood bank and set off back to China carrying more than 200 boxes of instruments and equipment (weighing more than 20 tons) and the prepared blood products.
At the critical moment of World War II, in order to avoid submarine attacks, they took a circuitous route: they took an American cargo ship into the Atlantic Ocean, entered the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal, detoured to India, and finally took a plane to cross the Himalayas to Kunming.
At the request of Stilwell, the Supreme Commander of the U.S. Forces in the China-Burma-India War Zone, the blood bank was settled in Kunming to serve the Chinese Expeditionary Force's counterattack in the Yunnan-Myanmar War. On July 12, 1944, the blood bank held an opening ceremony at the Yunnan Provincial Kunhua Hospital (now the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province) on Jinbi Road, Kunming City. It was named the Blood Bank of the Military Medical Administration of the Ministry of Military Affairs and became the first blood bank in Chinese history. Yi Jianlong served as the director.
On the opening day, Du Yuming took the lead in donating blood, and it was Lin Rusi who did the pre-donation examination for him. This young woman who returned from the United States was awarded the rank of lieutenant in the National Revolutionary Army by virtue of her fluent English translation of a large number of technical documents and her contribution to the introduction and construction of blood banks.
“At that time, the blood bank stepped up publicity in major newspapers and called for blood donation to save lives,” Zhang Chan said. Since then, most of the people who came to the hospital to donate blood were students from Southwest Associated University, many of whom donated blood more than once; there were also more than 200 Chinese soldiers donating blood to their comrades during combat breaks.
Flying over mountains and seas: Blood delivery on the frontline saves countless lives
The exhibition board of the "Historical Corridor of China's First Blood Bank" in the First Hospital of Yunnan Province records the hardships of the blood bank staff at that time. Under the difficult conditions of wartime, the medical workers of the blood bank adapted to local conditions and combined local and foreign practices. There is no running water, so we build a self-built water storage tank and manually pump water into the tank to create "tap water".
In a place where there is no running water, it is extremely difficult to maintain "sterility". Blood bank staff use the strictest operations to achieve "sterility" standards: more than 200 blood collection bottles are produced every day. Each bottle is first rinsed 5 times with soapy water, and then rinsed 5 times with clean water. After sulfuric acid immersion, it is rinsed 5 times with clean water, and then 5 times with distilled water. Several hundred feet of hose were washed section by section and boiled in distilled water.
"Faced with the arduous work, the staff did not complain and had the courage to take on the work." Zhang Chan said. The blood products produced by the blood bank were transported directly by plane to the front line in Tengchong, western Yunnan, to treat the wounded, saving the lives of countless frontline soldiers.
Before returning to China, Stilwell wrote a letter of praise: "The blood bank has provided excellent services to the brave and tenacious Chinese soldiers of Unit Y. You can be sure that the excellent work of your organization has saved the lives of many soldiers." "Force Y" is the code name for the first batch of 30 divisions of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.
According to data from the Chinese Blood Transfusion Association, during the more than a year since the blood bank was operated in Kunming, the total blood collection volume exceeded 3 million milliliters, the total number of blood donors was more than 10,000, and a large number of wounded people were treated. At the same time, it also trained China's first batch of technicians and managers who have mastered the knowledge of modern blood banks.
The old blood bank site that carries this memory is still in the Yunnan Provincial No. 1 Hospital and has been turned into a "Pomegranate Garden" cultural square for patients to rest. The Department of Blood Transfusion has grown into the Clinical Blood Transfusion Quality Control Center of Yunnan Province, assuming the responsibilities of “quality supervisor” and “technical coach” for clinical blood transfusion in the province.
More than 80 years have passed, and the story of Sino-US friendship continues here. In August 2025, American tourist Tammy Jane suddenly suffered from severe pneumonia while traveling in Yunnan. After receiving precise anti-infection treatment at the No. 1 Hospital of Yunnan Province, she was finally relieved. Before discharge, the patient's husband wrote two sincere letters of thanks to express their gratitude and gratitude to the medical team.
From the United States' assistance in building blood banks and "blood transfusions" for China's war of resistance more than 80 years ago, to today's Chinese doctors saving the lives of American patients - this friendship across the Pacific has continued to develop.
"The purpose of building this historical corridor in the hospital is to let everyone who walks into the blood transfusion department see that today's ordinary bag of blood was built from scratch by our ancestors in the smoke of war, reminding everyone to cherish the hard-won peace era." Zhang Chan said, and it is also necessary to encourage young people to carry forward the fine traditions of their ancestors, do better blood transfusion work, and save more patients' lives. (over)
