Wang Chen (middle), vice-president of Chinese Academy of Engineering and principal of Peking Union Medical College, and teachers hold chrysanthemums to attend the opening ceremony, paying tribute to the body donors. (PHOTO BY ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Just before Tomb-Sweeping Day, an opening ceremony of anthropotomy course for 2020 graders of clinical medicine was held in the anatomy laboratory of Peking Union Medical College. During the ceremony, attendees presented chrysanthemums, then bowed three times and stood in silent homage to pay tribute to the "silent mentors", which is a honorific title in the medical field for these who donated their bodies for medical research and education.

Wang Chen, vice-president of Chinese Academy of Engineering and principal of Peking Union Medical College, said that anthropotomy, revealing the structure of human body, is one of the most important basic medical courses.

As a venerable tradition of the human anatomy teaching at Peking Union Medical College, the opening ceremony is the medical students' first lesson on their professional journey. With the guidance of the "silent mentor" spirit, they will commit themselves to the medical profession, aiming to ease human suffering and promote health. Peking Union Medical College established a voluntary body donation program in 1999 and, so far, has received body donations from thousands of individuals from all walks of life.

Dai Di, a student at Peking Union Medical College, introduces the anatomical drawing work "Hero in the Fire' at "BEYOND NETTER" medical student anatomical drawing competition on March 14. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Students from Peking Union Medical College hold chrysanthemums to attend the opening ceremony, paying tribute to the body donors. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

A student at Peking Union Medical College takes notes in anatomy class on March 14. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Students from Peking Union Medical College practice in their anatomy class on March 14. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

The teachers and students of Peking Union Medical College deeply remember and bow their respects to the body donors at the Changqing Life Memorial Park in Beijing, on March 24, 2023. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

Students at the Peking Union Medical College operate instruments to take an anatomy class after the opening ceremony on March 14. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

A teacher from Peking Union Medical College gives practical guidance to students in an anatomy class on March 14. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

A teacher from Peking Union Medical College explains the anatomy course content to students after the class-opening ceremony on March 14. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)