On December 19, 2014, the Chinese medical team was awarded a prize known as “the glory of China—the person of the year for spreading Chinese culture”. Cui Li, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), attended the ceremony and awarded the prize to the Chinese medical team.

Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO representative in China, nominated the Chinese medical team in Africa as a candidate group for its contribution to African countries. The Chinese medical team was initially dispatched to Africa in 1963. During the past 51 years, China has dispatched medical teams to aid 51 African countries. It has dispatched 20,000 doctors treating about 200 million African patients and trained tens of thousands of medical staff for Africa. More than half of the Chinese medical team members in Africa have contracted malaria during their stay in Africa. Dozens of members even lost their lives because of wars, accidents and disease. Since Ebola broke out in 2014, the NHFPC together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Health Bureau of the PLA General Logistic Department have dispatched more than 500 medical staff to the Ebola-affected areas. The Chinese medical team won praise from many African leaders for its outstanding performance.

The selection of “the glory of China—the person of the year for spreading Chinese culture” is a public welfare activity honoring the people who make contributions to introduce Chinese culture to the global stage, upgrading the nation’s cultural soft power and international influence.