{
"content": "In October 1991, my right hand was scalded by boiling oil. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it. I applied ordinary burn ointment sold on the street. Soon, a large blister formed on the burned area. When the skin covering was peeled off, the flesh underneath had already ulcerated, and the bone was visible.\n\nI went to the National Burn Treatment Center at the 304 Military Hospital for treatment and was immediately admitted. The doctor informed me: the hand had reached third-degree burns. Treatment would require two to three surgeries, involving cutting a piece of skin from the buttocks to cover the burned area, waiting for it to heal, and then performing scar excision and repair surgery. Significant scarring would remain after the operation, potentially affecting the function of my right hand. I was asked to sign the consent form for surgery the next day.\n\nI stayed at the hospital that night. The wound throbbed with intense pain, preventing me from closing my eyes. Moreover, my ears were filled with the painful, mournful cries and groans of burn patients in neighboring wards, which was heart-wrenching. I didn't sleep a wink all night. Early the next morning, I left the hospital. Returning home, I told my family, \"I'd rather lose a hand than go back to that hospital.\"\n\nIn an extremely depressed mood, I turned on the TV and happened to see Beijing TV introducing the Xu Rongxiang Burn Clinic affiliated with Xuanwu Hospital and its Moist Burn Therapy. They claimed it was an innovative treatment method that didn't require skin grafting or surgery, and left no scars after healing. Overjoyed at the news, it felt like a long drought meeting sweet rain. Although my family suspected it might be a paid advertisement and advised me to return to the proper 304 Hospital, I was determined to give it a try. I immediately called a car and went to Xu's burn clinic at Xuanwu Hospital.\n\nXu's clinic at the time was quite rudimentary. The outpatient department mainly consisted of an elderly nurse. She looked at my injury, removed the bandaged gauze, and applied a kind of moist ointment. I asked why there was no disinfection. The nurse replied, \"This is a very minor injury.\" I said, \"But it's a third-degree burn, the most severe level.\" She answered, \"But the area isn't large. Applying some medicine will heal it.\" I asked in surprise, \"No need for hospitalization and observation?\" She said, \"No need.\" She finished applying it casually, gave me two more tubes, and the entire consultation fee was only a little over ten yuan.\n\nI was amazed at how simple the treatment was and asked the nurse why there was no bandaging. She said, \"This is our special therapy. The wound must always remain open and moist.\" I asked, \"Won't it get infected later?\" She said, \"Don't worry, it won't. As long as you always keep the ointment covering the wound, it definitely won't get infected. Apply it every hour. It should heal in about 10 days.\" I found it deeply strange but was half-convinced and half-doubting.\n\nI went home. Strangely, after applying the ointment, the wound no longer hurt. Even more bizarrely, several hours later, I found a lot of white sticky fluid oozing from the ulcerated area of the wound. This white fluid soon congealed into a thin film. After one day, new granulation tissue had already begun to grow on the wound. Two weeks later, the injured area had basically healed without leaving any scars. This experience left me feeling incredibly astonished.\n\nAfter the wound completely healed, I was very grateful to the inventor of this ointment. So, I wrote a thank-you letter to Xu Rongxiang at Xuanwu Hospital, praising and thanking him for providing such a miraculous medicine to the world. Half a month later, I received a reply from Xu, inviting me to meet at his office in the Beijing Hotel.\n\n2\n\nXu Rongxiang's office at the time, which was also his research institute, was located in two large rooms in the middle building of the Beijing Hotel. After meeting, I sincerely expressed my gratitude for his miraculous burn medicine saving me.\n\nXu Rongxiang, however, said he had long known of He Xin, had read many of my articles in newspapers and magazines, and had heard friends talk about me, expressing great admiration, etc.\n\nSo, I talked about my experience at the National Burn Center of the 304 Hospital. Comparing it with the miraculous efficacy of Xu's medicine, I asked: Mr. Xu, since your medicine has such good curative effects, why hasn't it been promoted nationwide to save lives and heal the wounded? If I hadn't accidentally seen the related program on TV, I would now only be able to undergo a series of extremely painful surgeries. Perhaps the function of my right hand would still be ruined, and I certainly wouldn't be out of the hospital yet!\n\nXu Rongxiang replied: Hey, what promotion are we talking about? I'm facing a great disaster right now. The official authorities have issued documents saying I'm a big江湖骗子 (jianghu骗子, a quack/swindler), that my medicine has problems with its approval process, is fake medicine, and needs to be re-investigated and possibly banned.\n\nI asked in surprise, why? Which department? He said it was documents recently issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Health and the Pharmaceutical Bureau.\n\nI could hardly believe it and asked, what will you do then? As the functional departments, they are precisely your current supervisors.\n\nHe said, fortunately, the leaders of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Health have used my medicine and think it's a good thing. Right now, it's the only department still holding out, still affirming and protecting me. But I'm afraid it won't hold out much longer. And I'm also facing a lot of other troublesome matters.\n\nAs he spoke, Xu Rongxiang took out a large pile of materials and red-headed and black-headed documents, spreading them out and flipping through them one by one for me to see.\n\nFinally, he said: Brother He Xin, your burn being cured by my medicine this time is fate bringing us together. I know you can reach the central leadership. Can I beg you to help me appeal for justice?\n\nLooking at this large pile of official and medical department documents, I shook my head repeatedly. I said I'm not a doctor! I have no authority in this area, and anything I say would be meaningless. I said: Can you provide me with some materials from medical experts or authoritative departments affirming your medicine?\n\nXu Rongxiang said, currently, that's really a problem. My Moist Burn Therapy for burn ulcers is a completely new technology and concept I invented independently, entirely different from traditional Western medical treatments. Now, many foreigners are interested in this thing of mine, but domestically, there are people who want to suppress me. Medical experts who haven't接触 (contacted) or verified my technology simply won't believe in the efficacy of this medicine. And the doctors who have tried my medicine, being only a minority, mostly don't dare to publicly express support for me. Who dares to go against the Ministry of Health?\n\nI sighed deeply, shook my head, and said: Then your troubles are really big! I said let me think about it and see if any friends can help you out of this difficulty.\n\nThis happened between November and December 1991.\n\n3\n\nLater, Xu Rongxiang proactively established close contact with me, often sending people to deliver the latest information about his materials and situation.\n\nThrough multiple conversations, I gradually learned about the full picture of his life and invention. It turned out Xu Rongxiang was purely of grassroots origin, the child of poor farmers. In the 1970s, he tested into and entered Qingdao Medical College. After graduation, he was assigned to work as an intern doctor at Jinan Hospital.\n\nBefore entering university, he had obtained some handwritten medical books from elders in his family, containing some folk prescriptions. Among them were some ancient burn medicine formulas. Curious, he prepared them according to the ancient formulas, first testing them on small animals like rabbits, chickens, and puppies. After who knows how many attempts at摸索调制 (exploring and adjusting), he finally developed a set of particularly effective ointment himself. He said, actually, the most important basic component of my ointment is specially processed sesame, and the three yellows: Huanglian (Coptis chinensis), Huangbai (Phellodendron amurense), and Huangqin (Scutellaria baicalensis). Very ordinary, very low cost.\n\nWhile working as an intern doctor at Jinan Hospital, with support from个别领导 (some individual leaders), Xu Rongxiang began trying his medicine on burn patients, with very good results. But because he hadn't obtained the drug trial approval number at the time, it also caused considerable controversy. Later, his invention caught the attention of a Guangming Daily reporter, who reported on it in the newspaper.\n\nThe 1980s were the early stages of China's reform, with all aspects encouraging innovation and experimentation. The overall social environment in China at the time was very宽松 (loose/relaxed). Therefore, when he encountered difficulties in Jinan, the leaders of Guangming日报 (Daily) encouraged him to come to Beijing to try his luck. So, he and his wife, also a doctor, resigned from their jobs at Jinan Hospital and came to Beijing. Guangming Daily helped him establish a \"Guangming New Burn Treatment Technology Research Institute\" and helped him set up his own small clinic at Xuanwu Hospital.\n\nLater, with the help of relevant leaders in the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Health who had practically used his medicine, Xu Rongxiang obtained the trial approval number for this burn medicine as a national experimental new drug.\n\n4\n\nXu Rongxiang told me that in October 1990, a gas explosion occurred in Bangkok, Thailand, causing over 250 casualties. The Thai government sent notes to multiple governments, including China, requesting assistance in treatment. Upon learning the information, Xu Rongxiang proactively requested relevant authorities to allow him to go to Bangkok as a volunteer medical team to help treat the injured free of charge.\n\nAt that time, medical teams from Japan, the United States, and Europe had arrived. Xu Rongxiang's small team took in a group of the most severely burned patients. As a result, the Moist Burn Therapy technology produced miraculous curative effects in the treatment in Thailand, bringing patients with大面积烧伤败血症 (large-area burn sepsis) back from the brink of death, and healing deep second-degree burns without leaving scars.\n\nThis \"miraculous\" medicine and its efficacy, through interviews and reports by Thai television, caused a sensation in Bangkok, moving the King of Thailand. He expressed gratitude to China through a Chinese leader who happened to be visiting Bangkok at the time. That leader initially thought this medical team was an official public service team sent by the state, not knowing it was just a volunteer medical team from the民间 (folk/private sector).\n\nHowever, this experience in Thailand made Xu Rongxiang's creation, the MEBO burn ointment and Moist Burn Therapy, famous overseas from then on. At that time, many foreign doctors came to visit and observe at the treatment site of his medical team. But tragically, after returning to China, not only did he not receive rewards from the health administration departments, but相反 (on the contrary), pressure and various troubles suddenly descended upon him. This included pressure from authoritative figures in the mainstream burn medical community否定其药品和技术 (denying his medicine and technology), and pressure demanding the取缔 (banning) of his private clinic and drug trial rights. In the year since returning to China, this pressure had grown越来越大 (bigger and bigger).\n\n5\n\nIn April 1992, Xu Rongxiang invited me to his office again. He had just returned from the Middle East. He showed me a royal certificate and a model of an Arab golden ship. He told me these were personal gifts from the King of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIt turned out that not long before, a young princess of the Crown Prince of the UAE had her face scalded by boiling water accidentally by a servant while bathing. The royal family was very anxious, deeply afraid it would leave obvious lifelong disability on the lovely little princess. At that time, European doctors who had been to Bangkok happened to introduce Xu Rongxiang's medical skills. So, the Crown Prince decided to have the ambassador to China invite Xu Rongxiang to visit the UAE. The Crown Prince sent a special plane to pick up Xu Rongxiang to go to the UAE to treat the little princess. Xu Rongxiang cured the princess's burn disability in just half a month without leaving any scars, earning the Crown Prince's gratitude, who gave Xu Rongxiang generous bonuses and honors.\n\nBut despite all this, these facts did nothing to alleviate or减轻 (reduce) the reality of Xu Rongxiang being suppressed by mainstream burn medical authorities domestically and pressured by health administration and drug management departments. Therefore, Xu Rongxiang once again恳请 (earnestly requested) me to设法 (find a way) to report these情况 (circumstances) to the central leadership as soon as possible, to prevent his invention from being扼杀在摇篮中 (strangled in the cradle).\n\nAlthough I sympathized with him at the time, I still felt it was difficult to report it upward just like that. Nor did I have the ability to alleviate the pressure and troubles he was suffering.\n\n6\n\nBut a month later, the事件 (incident) dramatically and suddenly took a very abnormal turn.\n\nLate at night on May 24, 1992, I was awakened from sleep by an urgent phone ring. Picking up the phone, I received a transoceanic call from Xu Rongxiang from San Francisco, USA. On the phone, Xu Rongxiang's voice was extremely惊恐万分 (terrified). He said, \"Brother, I've been secretly kidnapped by a Chinese社团 (community/organization). My passport has been confiscated by them, they're restricting my movements. Today is the third day. I've slipped out to call you from the street. I beg you to quickly help me. Otherwise, I might not be able to return, anything could happen. In a few minutes, a friend will send you a fax. Please设法 (try to) get my appeal to the top. Thank you so much!\"\n\nHearing his call, my mind buzzed, not knowing what had happened. But the situation wasn't clear. I couldn't help but have some doubts. I thought, isn't the USA a society ruled by law? How could such a thing happen? I suspected he might be exaggerating. But I said, \"Okay, have someone send the documents over quickly!\" I then switched the phone to receive fax mode.\n\nA few minutes later, I received several documents in succession forwarded by friends he entrusted in the USA. After reading them, I judged that what he said was probably大体属实 (mostly true).\n\nThat night, I didn't sleep. I stayed up all night writing a letter to Comrade Deng Xiaoping and several other main central leaders.\n\n7\n\nThe content of the letter I wrote to the central leaders that night is as follows:\n\n【Urgent Report to Comrade Deng Xiaoping, Vice Chairman Wang Zhen, General Secretary Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng】\n\nTo the Central Committee and the State Council:\n\nThe inventor of a new burn medicine in our country, Xu Rongxiang, sent an urgent fax from the USA today (1:00 AM, May 25), requesting me to forward it to the Central Committee.\n\nThe fax states: He is currently encountering a非常情况 (very unusual situation) in the USA. He may be detained and kidnapped by gangsters, which could lead to the loss of a医药科技资源 (medical science and technology resource) of重大价值 (significant value) for the country.\n\nAs I was previously treated by his medicine and have recently gained a relatively good understanding of him and his new发明 (invention), I am now specially making an紧急报告 (emergency report) to you on the situation. Please酌情审处 (consider and handle as appropriate). (Attachment 1: Urgent fax sent by Xu Rongxiang from the USA attached)\n\nA brief overview of Xu Rongxiang's situation is as follows:\n\nXu Rongxiang is a doctor at a民营诊所 (private clinic) in Beijing. He invented a burn ointment (MEBO Burn Ointment) with特殊好的疗效 (exceptionally good curative effects) and an open moist treatment technology that heals基本无疤痕 (basically without scars). However, this new therapy poses a巨大冲击 (huge impact) on traditional treatments. Therefore, Xu Rongxiang himself and his medicine have一直遭受 (consistently suffered) various criticisms and pressures.\n\nIn early May this year, Harry Gaynor, Chairman of the American Burn Victims Foundation, sent a letter inviting Xu Rongxiang to the USA for an academic visit.\n\n[Previously, Gaynor had led American burn medicine delegations to China several times to conduct on-site inspections of Xu Rongxiang's Moist Burn Therapy technology. The inspection conclusion was: China's Moist Burn Therapy technology could可能产生一次革命 (possibly bring about a revolution) in world burn treatment.\n\nIn February 1990, US President Bush委托 (entrusted) US Ambassador to China, James Lilley, to send a letter to Xu Rongxiang, requesting cooperation in this academic field (see Attachment 2).\n\nReporters from major US publications like Newsweek personally came to China for inspections. The inspection results stated, \"China's Moist Burn Therapy technology can change the world.\" (See Attachment 3)\n\nUS CNN and ABC television also专门派记者 (specially sent reporters) to China for inspections. ABC television produced a 5-minute专题节目 (special program) based on the inspection results, broadcast worldwide under the title \"China's绝技 (unique skill).\"\n\nDue to extensive reporting in the USA internationally, it attracted the attention of the international medical community towards Xu Rongxiang. In 1990 alone, Xu Rongxiang先后接待了 (successively received) 15 foreign medical delegations.]\n\nHowever, during Xu Rongxiang's recent visit to the USA, a series of意外情况 (unexpected situations) suddenly occurred:\n\n1. On May 18, in the name of \"China International Engineering and Materials Corporation,\" someone suddenly sent two faxes to Harry Gaynor, President of the American Burn Association, who was hosting Xu Rongxiang's visit to the USA. The faxes claimed \"Xu Rongxiang is a骗子 (swindler) who fled China with huge sums of money, and his burn medicine is假药 (