Villa of Bussiere exhibition in Paris

The city of Beijing has organized a tri-partite exhibition of "The Villa of Dr. Jean Bussiere (1872-1960), a French Doctor in Beijing", in Paris, France, which will open on Sept 8 for the 50th anniversary of Sino-French relationship.

It will take visitors from the past to the future and from Beijing to Paris, with the main scenes expressed by the Villa of Bussiere.

The three chapters are "Doctor", "Neighbor", and "Friend", with the photographs intended to praise protagonist's nobility and friendship with the Chinese, and to get people to explore the world through his photos.

Villa of Bussiere after renovation, on March 23, 2014. [Photo by Le Qin/China Daily]

Jean Augustin Bussiere, who was born in 1872, came to China at the age of 40 as a doctor attached to the French embassy who then opened a clinic of his own in Beijing. He was once a doctor for Yenching University, the predecessor of Peking University and brought medical equipment from France and introduced advanced medical technology to China.

The people around the Western hills of Beijing, in the Haidian district, recalled the doctor as being particularly fond of Chinese culture despite his lack of skill with the language and how he loved to wear long robes, eat Chinese food and study traditional painting. He even married a Chinese woman, Wu Sidan, and built a castle-like structure in the villa to treat patients from all over.

During the War of Resistance against the Japanese (1937-45), he used his medical expertise to treat the wounded of the 8th Route Army and villagers and carried medicines to the front lines and carried radios for the army even if his life was in danger. His residence even became a transportation and communications center for the Chinese army.

And, he was nearly 70 at the time. As the head of a hospital, he would ride more than 30 kilometers from downtown Peiking to the Western Hills on a bicycle loaded with medicines for the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region where the Route Army had its camp.

Shu Yi, the son of the noted writer Lao She, describes him this way, "Bussiere is a real international anti-fascist hero and a true friend of the Chinese. We should remember his life story and pass it on." And President Xi Jinping remarked during a visit to France this past March, "We will never forget the contribution made by numerous French friends to China's development. Bussiere, a French doctor, risked his life to transport much needed medicines on his bike to a base area against Japanese aggression."

This is the highest form of praise and tells the world that he will always be remembered by the Chinese.