Yang Chuanlai rows a boat to offer medical service in Weishan county, Jining, Shandong province. [Photo/Jining Daily]

Yang Chuanlai from Jining's Weishan county has been named among the first batch of people honored as a "2026 Chinese Good Doctor". Co-hosted by the National Health Commission and the Central Civilization Office, "Chinese Good Doctor" is a national-level program honoring outstanding medical professionals.

For 30 years, Yang has served as a local doctor in the county's Weihe village, where boats are the main mode of transport. His boat doubles as a mobile clinic and "water ambulance". He has mastered boat handling to race against time. Once, he transported a comatose villager to hospital in just 20 minutes, saving the patient's life.

In winter, when the lake freezes over, he still breaks ice to reach those in need. To help illiterate elderly residents take their medicine correctly, he drew simple lines on boxes: one line indicating they should take it once a day, two for twice, and so on. 

His boat has been upgraded from wood to fiberglass and now cement, but his dedication remains unchanged. "I am willing to guard the villagers' health like the water on the lake," Yang said.