Officers and Sailors of the Navy Hospital Ship "Jixiang Fangzhou" Executing the "Harmonious Mission-2026" Task Mark China Physicians' Day

执行“和谐使命-2026”任务的海军“吉祥方舟”号医院船官兵迎接中国医师节

PLA Daily (解放军报) 19 August 2026

Summary

The PLAN hospital ship *Jixiang Fangzhou* departed Qingdao on July 22 on the 12th iteration of the "Harmonious Mission" series, bound for Africa and South Asia — the vessel's first overseas deployment since commissioning. The article documents the continuity of the program across three ships (*Peace Ark*, *Silk Road Ark*, and now *Jixiang Fangzhou*) and twelve missions since 2010, using individual physician profiles to humanize what is explicitly framed around 人类命运共同体 ("community with a shared future for mankind"). The framing points to a deliberate effort to position naval medical diplomacy as a soft-power instrument, though the article provides no operational details — port calls, host-nation agreements, or patient capacity — that would allow assessment of the mission's actual reach.

The article confirms that 'Jixiang Fangzhou' departed Qingdao on July 22 on its maiden operational voyage as the 12th 'Harmonious Mission' deployment, marking the first public reporting of this third PLA Navy hospital ship conducting an overseas medical mission and establishing it as a distinct platform from 'Peace Ark' and 'Silk Road Ark.'

Translation

Officers and Sailors of the Navy Hospital Ship "Jixiang Fangzhou" Executing the "Harmonious Mission-2026" Task Mark China Physicians' Day——

As the ninth China Physicians' Day arrives, the Navy hospital ship "Jixiang Fangzhou," executing the "Harmonious Mission-2026" task, is underway on the distant ocean. Having set sail on July 22 from a military port wharf in Qingdao, Shandong, the "Jixiang Fangzhou" has been cutting through the waves, bound for Africa and South Asia to provide medical services to local populations.

Without venturing into the open ocean, one cannot truly know the sea. Standing on the deck of the "Jixiang Fangzhou" and gazing at the deep-blue horizon, that feeling arises naturally. Extending the lens across time and space, the Navy's two hospital ships "Peace Ark" and "Silk Road Ark" have also set sail with benevolence, leaving behind trail after trail of peaceful voyages.

For the People's Navy, 2008 was an extraordinary year. In December of that year, the People's Navy's first escort formation cast off and set sail for the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to carry out escort missions. In December of the same year, China's first purpose-built hospital ship, "Peace Ark," officially joined the People's Navy's order of battle.

From August to November 2010, the hospital ship "Peace Ark" ventured abroad for the first time, traveling to Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, and Bangladesh to conduct visits, exchanges, and medical services. Over the more than ten years that followed, the hospital ship "Peace Ark" executed the "Harmonious Mission" series of tasks on ten separate occasions.

In 2025, China's second self-designed and self-built 10,000-ton-class ocean-going hospital ship, "Silk Road Ark," executed the 11th "Harmonious Mission" task. In July of this year, the hospital ship "Jixiang Fangzhou" took up the baton and set out to execute the 12th "Harmonious Mission" task.

Senior military physician Li Lujia, who has practiced medicine for 39 years, sailed with the hospital ship "Peace Ark" in 2013 to visit eight countries including Brunei, the Maldives, and Pakistan, providing medical services to their populations. Thirteen years later, Li Lujia has set out again, boarding the "Jixiang Fangzhou" to execute the "Harmonious Mission-2026" task.

For the first lesson of the "University at Sea" (海上大学) held during the transit, Li Lujia produced a set of slides from 13 years ago. The cover page read: "'Harmonious Mission-2013' Task Briefing." At the podium, Li Lujia spoke earnestly about the circumstances of that previous mission. Below, medical personnel listened with full concentration and noted down the key points. This year, Li Lujia will spend China Physicians' Day in mission preparation. He said: "Healing the sick and saving lives is, in itself, a source of happiness for a doctor."

The "Bright Action" (光明行动) is one of the key medical service components of every "Harmonious Mission" overseas visit. Ma Ting, the ophthalmology department chief participating in this mission, has been carefully preparing public health education materials and surgical plans, hoping to bring sight to patients in the countries visited. This senior military physician, who has practiced medicine for 35 years and has previously participated in carrier medical support, Navy pilot recruitment, and the 39th escort task force mission, said with deep feeling: "This voyage makes the 'mission mosaic' of my military career more complete."

This is military physician Ling Zhibin's first overseas mission. Ling Zhibin was once a Navy radar soldier stationed at a mountaintop post. After leaving the military, he returned to university to complete his studies, then passed the civilian personnel examination to become a dermatologist. Upon learning that the "Jixiang Fangzhou" was about to execute the "Harmonious Mission" task for the first time, he signed up immediately.

His identity has changed, his post has changed, but what has not changed is Ling Zhibin's love for military service and his longing for the deep blue. On the day he boarded, Ling Zhibin looked at the hospital ship berthed at the wharf, his emotions surging like waves. He said: "This is the 'Jixiang Fangzhou's' maiden voyage — and it is my maiden voyage too!"

During the transit, Ling Zhibin has been carefully sorting through and analyzing dermatological cases to lay the groundwork for subsequent diagnosis and treatment. He said: "To do my utmost to relieve the suffering of people in foreign lands — that is the greatest meaning of this voyage."

World voyages, Chinese appeal. On the distant ocean, carrying the blessings of Physicians' Day, this young "great white ship" continues its "Harmonious Mission," putting into practice the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind (人类命运共同体) and displaying to the world the bearing of the Chinese Navy.

Original Chinese

执行“和谐使命-2026”任务的海军“吉祥方舟”号医院船官兵迎接中国医师节—— 第九个中国医师节来临之际，执行“和谐使命-2026”任务的海军“吉祥方舟”号医院船，正航行在远海大洋。自7月22日从山东青岛某军港码头起航，“吉祥方舟”号医院船一路劈波斩浪，前往非洲、南亚，为当地民众提供医疗服务。不出远海，不能真正认识海洋。站在“吉祥方舟”号医院船的甲板上，看着深蓝色的海平面，这样的感受便会油然而生。拉长时空镜头，海军“和平方舟”“丝路方舟”两艘医院船，也曾怀仁扬帆，留下一道道和平航迹。 2008年，对于人民海军来说，是不平凡的一年。就在这一年12月，人民海军首批护航编队解缆起航，赴亚丁湾、索马里海域执行护航任务。同年12月，我国第一艘专业化医院船“和平方舟”正式加入人民海军的战斗序列。 2010年8月至11月，“和平方舟”号医院船首次走出国门，赴吉布提、肯尼亚、坦桑尼亚、塞舌尔、孟加拉国开展访问交流和医疗服务。在此后的10余年里，“和平方舟”号医院船先后10次执行“和谐使命”系列任务。 2025年，我国自主设计建造的第二艘万吨级远洋医院船“丝路方舟”号，执行第11次“和谐使命”任务。今年7月，“吉祥方舟”号医院船接力出征，执行第12次“和谐使命”任务。从医39年的老军医李露嘉，2013年就曾跟随“和平方舟”号医院船出访文莱、马尔代夫、巴基斯坦等8国，为各国民众提供医疗服务。时隔13年，李露嘉再次出征，登上“吉祥方舟”执行“和谐使命-2026”任务。航渡期间“海上大学”的第一课，李露嘉拿出一份13年前的幻灯片。幻灯片首页写着“‘和谐使命-2013’任务汇报”。台上，李露嘉认真讲述此前执行任务的情况。台下，医护人员聚精会神、记下要点。今年的中国医师节，李露嘉将在任务准备中度过，他说：“治病救人对于医生来说，本身就是一件幸福的事。” “光明行动”是“和谐使命”历次出访任务中的一项重点医疗服务内容。参加此次任务的眼科主任马汀认真准备科普宣教和手术方案，希望为到访国患者带来光明。这位从医35年的老军医先后参加过航母医疗保障、海军招飞和第39批护航等任务，她颇有感触地说：“此行让我军旅生涯的‘任务拼图’更加完整。” 这是军医凌致彬首次出国执行任务。凌致彬曾是一名驻守高山之巅的海军雷达兵。告别部队后，他重回大学完成学业，又通过文职人员考试成为一名皮肤科医生。得知“吉祥方舟”即将首次执行“和谐使命”任务，他第一时间报名。身份在变，战位在变，不变的是凌致彬对军旅的热爱和对深蓝的向往。登船那天，凌致彬看着靠泊码头的医院船，心情如浪花翻涌，他说：“这是‘吉祥方舟’的首航，也是我的首航！” 航渡期间，凌致彬认真梳理分析皮肤病情况，为后续诊断治疗打下基础。他说：“尽我最大努力，为异国民众缓解病痛，是此行最大的意义。” 世界航迹，中国魅力。远海大洋上，带着医师节的祝福，这艘年轻的“大白船”继续着“和谐使命”，践行人类命运共同体理念，向世界展示中国海军的风采。